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Workers call for ad to be pulled for safety violations, setting unsafe example
Courtesy of Wisconsin AFL-CIO
In Scott Walker’s latest ad he is seen standing in a big hole. What some people might not realize is the unsafe example Walker is setting for workers who work in this field.
“Gov. Walker’s violations send the wrong message to anyone trying follow the rules and come home safe at the end of the day,” said Jeff Kaminiski, President of United Steelworkers Local 2006. “Safety is the backbone of the union movement. We want all workers to come home safe at end of the day, we can’t have an example like this playing statewide.”
Not only is Scott Walker not wearing any Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE as it is often referred to, such as a hard hat, safety gloves, work vest or safety glasses, but he is making errors that could end in serious injury.
Jeff Kaminiski, President of the United Steelworkers Local 2006, representing workers at investor owned utilities in the state, was shocked when he first saw Scott Walker’s ad on TV.
“I immediately noticed that the hole appears to be more than five feet deep, the ladder is not positioned correctly and Gov. Walker is making a host of mistakes, putting his safety at risk.”
Kaminiski continued: “There is no shoring to hold up the side walls,” explaining that “holes with unstable ground or greater than five feet must be shored and the ladder must extend two feet above the hole. As somebody who spends my days pushing safety on the job, these are big offenses.”
Is this how Gov. Walker is going to have workers work? He says he wants to create jobs, is he going to force workers to work in these unsafe conditions?
Kaminiski called for the commercial to pulled from the air and made an official complaint with OSHA: “It’s clear Gov. Walker’s never worked a day of his life in this field. Gov. Walker should be fined by OSHA and this commercial should be immediately pulled for safety reasons. This is someone in a leadership position setting an unsafe example for workers.”
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