Day laborers urged to report danger

The head of the Mayor's office of immigrant affairs met with Queens day laborers on the streets of Jackson Heights and called for them to protect their lives by calling 3-1-1 if they suffer from dangerous work conditions.
&#8220I am here to address growing concerns about the safety of workers on hanging scaffolds. So far this year, there have been nineteen accidents involving unsafe hanging scaffolds,” said Guillermo Linares, Immigrant Affairs Commissioner for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, on Monday, November 20. &#8220These accidents have resulted in the deaths of five workers and five others have been injured in the city.”
As a result, Linares has set up a task force, comprised of representatives from the federal, state, and city governments, labor unions, contractors, and organizations serving immigrants and limited English proficient individuals. Starting in December, the task force will hold safety sessions in a soon-to-be-disclosed CUNY school that will deal with reducing the dangers the workers and the public face to ensure the city is a safer and better place to live, work and build.
&#8220I find it very necessary for construction workers to always use a safety harness and be strapped to a safety rope. This program is meant to correct these unsafe conditions that are causing so many deaths,” said Linares.
&#8220We are demanding that a licensed person be at work at all times, if not report it, you can do so anonymously, and we're asking workers today to attend our safety classes in English or in other languages,” Linares said.
Linares passed out flyers to the day laborers on Roosevelt Avenue that detailed the accidents that can take place on the job along with how the new immigration affairs task force is seeking to prevent these tragedies from happening.
&#8220I have no problem calling 3-1-1, as long as I am not asked about my immigration status,” said Sergio Valdivieso, a Peruvian builder that has been in the U.S. since 2004.
&#8220I like the commissioner's policy for day laborers,” said Pedro Alvarez, a Mexican day laborer. &#8220I don't feel protected when I associate with government officials, and yet I feel I can trust this new program. It will hold my employers accountable without me risking the loss of my work. Many friends of mine have had accidents and it is time for someone to be held responsible.”
According to Daniel Morlez, a construction worker from Ecuador, who suffered a broken arm last year, &#8220Employers use us cheap labor and they're also endangering our lives. I think it's important that Linares is here with us this morning letting us know that safety codes have to be respected.”
Department of Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster and Rich Mandelson from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were also on hand to support the task force initiative and help distribute flyers.