Introduction Over 9.6 million construction workers were employed in the United States in 2001 to help build roads, residential housing and commercial office buildings, and physical infrastructure to our country. This type of work exposes many construction workers to hazardous work tasks and unhealthful working conditions Health and safety may or may not be a priority for the contractor. Workers may not receive medical examinations, assessments, and monitoring based on their occupational exposures. Some of the reasons for this include: health is a complex issue; long-term strategies are required; benefits are not immediate and consequently difficult to demonstrate; exposure to hazards with different health risks can be multiple and vary with site conditions; low profile; "macho" culture is inherent in the construction industry; mobile and temporary workforce; and lack of expertise within the industry.
Research and findings on Ontario's construction workers found occupational exposures to various chemical substances at levels considered potentially hazardous. Contaminants found in the construction projects include dust from wood, concrete, diesel exhaust, and welding fumes. Asbestos and lead exposures also were prevalent among certain trades In this particular case, a large construction contractor, construction manager, subcontracting trades, and an architectural firm were hired to design and manage the re-construction of an international airline terminal. Plans were drafted to renovate the existing airline terminal in order to provide more interior space for passenger arrivals and departures, administration offices, customer service areas, and shops. Health and safety plans were developed to provide oversight of the entire construction process as well as assist with the management and facilitation of the project. No attempt was made to coordinate the construction work activities with the architect or provide oversight for health and safety of workers and the general public. Over time, site work conditions began to deteriorate, which allowed both airline workers and passengers to become exposed to a variety of airborne and surface contaminants.
Symptoms of Exposure to Airline Workers and Public A designated site health and safety representative for the contractor conducted regular inspections until being dismissed early on from the project. The project manager, a certified public accountant, assumed the duties as the replacement for the site health and safety representative. It was discovered later during a deposition that New York City building codes, at that time, did not require a formally trained site health and safety representative to be on-site at all time. Since then, the public law was amended to require designated safety personnel who meet specific educational and training criteria during building construction, renovation, and demolition activities.
Five workers employed by an international airline testified that they became sick after only six months into the project. None of these airline workers had either a previous medical history or complained about any prior illness before the construction work began inside the terminal. These individuals suffered from debilitating headaches, skin irritation, difficulty breathing, eye and skin irritation, nose bleeds, diarrhea, feeling of tightness in the chest, wheezing, and a raspy.