Job deaths up 31 percent in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE -- A Charlotte industrial worker died Tuesday while operating heavy machinery, another in a recent series of N.C. workplace accidents that has labor officials worried the slumping economy could be endangering workers.

Authorities are investigating the death of Johnny Drosinis at Cemex Inc.'s concrete block plant south of Huntersville, where the 46-year-old father of four worked with his son-in-law.

Drosinis was crushed beneath a hydraulic lift that stacks cinderblocks, and relatives now question whether the company allowed the machine to operate without proper safeguards.

Workplace deaths rose in North Carolina in 2008 after three years of declines. There were 59 work-related deaths last year, compared to 45 in 2007, according to preliminary figures released Wednesday by the N.C. Labor Department.

Six N.C. workers died on the job in December, including Charlotte construction worker Jonathan Beatty. He died after a tool fell from the 11th floor in an elevator shaft inside the Wachovia tower going up at Stonewall and South Tryon streets.

The sagging economy could exacerbate the trend. Labor department officials worry workers could be in greater danger if companies scrimp on safety to make ends meet.

Department spokeswoman Dolores Quesenberry said Wednesday that company training and other safety initiatives are often among the first to go during hard economic times. "That's one of the first messages we want to get to employers: Make sure your employees are trained. It's not worth a life."

Cemex, with U.S. headquarters in Houston, said it was cooperating with authorities but had no other comment about Drosinis' death or its safety inspection record, said spokeswoman Jennifer Borgen in a written statement. "We are saddened by this accident."

It's unclear how Drosinis died or why the machine crushed him. But his relatives questioned whether the company kept the machine in safe working order.

Family members said they heard from a co-worker that the lift malfunctioned and Drosinis was trying to fix it when he was killed.

"The circumstances of his death are very peculiar," said Drosinis' older brother, Dino.

The family said company officials wouldn't allow Drosinis' wife and mother into the plant after they heard about the accident Tuesday.

N.C. OSHA will investigate the accident. Inspectors will examine whether required safeguards were on the hydraulic lift and whether they were working properly, an agency spokesman said. OSHA will also try to determine whether the workers were properly trained and the equipment properly maintained.

The agency's fatality investigations typically take about three to four months.

A record of violations

During the past three years, workplace safety inspectors around the nation cited Cemex for more than 100 violations. At least three dozen were deemed to be "serious," meaning they had the potential to injure or kill workers. Founded in Mexico a little over a century ago, Cemex has grown into a leading building materials company.

Until 2008, the number of workplace deaths in North Carolina had been dropping. N.C. Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry had pointed to the declining numbers of deaths and reported injuries as proof her department's approach works.

Berry, who in November won a third term as state labor commissioner, contends her department does more to improve safety by cooperating with businesses than by levying stiff fines.

An Observer investigation published last year found that fines for serious workplace violations in N.C. manufacturing plants are less than half the national average.

Berry is not ready to comment on the new fatality figures because she has not had a chance to examine them, a department spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Sometimes economic slumps lead to a decline in occupational deaths and injuries because fewer employees are working in high-risk jobs, according to Tom O'Connor, coordinator of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a group that advocates for worker safety.

But he said a poor economy can also put pressure on companies to shortchange safety.

"Sometimes the way to get a low bid is to use less experienced workers. Maybe (companies) skimp on some of their safety precautions," said O'Connor, who lives in Chapel Hill. "...I can imagine the pressure to cut some of those corners in order to bid a job at a lower cost."

Hard worker, family man

Drosinis took the Cemex job more than a year ago to supplement his income as part-owner of the Philadelphia Deli Restaurant on South Kings Drive.

The lifelong Charlotte resident was expecting his first grandchild in May and worried about his oldest son stationed in Iraq for two years. His son was catching a midnight plane to come home for the funeral, family members said Wednesday.

His extended family remembered him as a husband and father who worked hard to provide for his family and those in need. Dino said his brother, as manager of the family restaurant, would often feed the homeless for free.

"He was funny. He would joke," Dino said. "...He did the best he could for everyone."