13 WTHR: There's new information on the State Fair Tragedy, and who was responsible for assembling the rigging which fell and killed seven people. 13 Investigates takes a look at the contract, and tries to get answers from the union which was hired to do the job. Randy Byrd wants answers.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Union investigated in Indiana State Fair collapse
13 WTHR: There's new information on the State Fair Tragedy, and who was responsible for assembling the rigging which fell and killed seven people. 13 Investigates takes a look at the contract, and tries to get answers from the union which was hired to do the job. Randy Byrd wants answers.
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9 comments:
This is a very difficult situation to understand. according to the article, rumors of an unsafe stage were whispered around days before the fair opened. What I can't comprehend is how anyone could possibly remain passive on the fact that their work could endanger someone's life. I would have thought that even for the slightest doubt, those responsible would not settle until it was safe. This just reinforces the importance of the training we are receiving and goes to show that one day, most likely when least expected, it will be tested.
This is really unfortunate. It is also very obvious that the news reporters don't really understand the way the union works or what the rules are involving safety in their state. I also am concerned that there was no certified rigger on site. However I am not sure what the requirements are for that kind of work. I also agree that if the crew thought they were being asked to do something that was going to endanger people that they would inform the Union immediately. Sometimes bad things happen even if everything is done right but from what the news says about this that doesn't seem to be the case. Maybe this tragedy will be responsible for developing some new safety standards in this state.
It will be interesting to see the outcome of this investigation. I heard about the collapse a few months ago when it happened but i figured it was a product of the weather and perhaps it was. It didn't even cross my mind that Local 30 could be at fault in this situation. I like to think that IATSE keeps with the most stringent safety regulations and protocols but in reality this could easily not be the case. It would be interesting to see a breakdown of the labor used to construct the stage and how much of the labor was skilled and to what degree.
This news report doesn't really say anything. Well not anything that will vindicate Nathan Bryd's brother. Most network news tries to scare people into watching by revealing unseen horrors, including those behind accidents and tragedies. The quotes they pulled out from the Union contract were nothing new. It's clear the reporter doesn't quite understand how jobs are subbed out. But when an accident occurs on this type of scale, someone will be fingered for the blame and someone will be sued. Seems like Channel 13 is trying to find holes in the Union's craftmenship or work ethic, citing how Nathan Byrd who likely helped construct the stage was not ETCP certified. What's the result in following this accusation? A requirement that all stagehands be ETCP certified? I don't know enough about the certification process to say that's a good or bad idea. But I'm sure we'll hear more about this in the future. Once a respectable standard had been established, it seems that all other alternatives therefore become inferior. I'm not sure this is true.
I'm waiting to hear what OSHA says rather than a local newsperson.
And America's need to point fingers and set blame continues. Though this situation is one to speculate, as any time safety was questioned before an accident occurred raises a certain sense of fault. the information on this article is slightly biased at times but you as a reader still can draw your own contrasting conclusions. I feel like there should always be an investigation after an accident, and people should be held accounted for. but, by the proper people with the right information presented to the right people at the right time.
This news report brings to light individuals who could be responsible, such as IATSE Local 30, but does not provide enough information to truly say who is at fault. As Devorah, Jackson, and Matt state, it would be interesting to see the labor breakdown as well as see what new safety or training comes from this incident. Many people commenting on articles relating to the collapse have either stated their should be global and nationwide standards enforced because of the collapse, while others say it should be state wide. Depending on the parties involved it seems like this is a state matter and a national matter, we cannot blame one entity. If it was the Local 30s fault, then there is more then a state issue at hand.
After reading this article, it is very unclear to me what actually happened. Was it just a mistake? Was the mistake known about and not taken care of? Could the situation have been prevented if there was, indeed, a certified rigger on site? This article left me with more questions than I had when I began reading it. I agree with Devorah in that it is painfully obvious that the author of the article doesn't understand these types of unions and their structures and functions. I was glad to read that the union and workers won't be held liable...it seems like this is just an unfortunate situation and that no more lives need to be ruined as a result of this tragedy.
As seems to happen many times, we have a news article saying that someone (or in this case a group) is being investigated and presenting it as if it's news of a criminal conviction or a finding of negligence. Just because a person or group is being investigated doesn't mean that they did anything wrong, only that they were in a position to have possibly been involved. Personally I'm going to wait until I see the results of the investigation before trying to decide who is responsible.
The part of the report that stuck out at me was the part about how Local 30 was hired, and not some kind of company or contractor that employed Local 30 members. The report made it seem like Local 30 was a company, rather then a labor union, which based on what setups of IATSE I am familiar with seem unusual. The fact that there was no ETC certified rigger involved just makes the whole situation even more unusual since when it comes to truss work it often seems like a certified rigger is all but mandatory for a job like this.
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