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Vol. 72/No. 28      July 14, 2008

 
Construction worker killed in Houston
 
BY AMANDA ULMAN  
HOUSTON—One construction worker was killed and seven injured June 19 at Rice University here. Several cinder block walls collapsed on the second floor of a dormitory under construction, killing Juan Romero, 41, and pinning four others. Three workers were injured as they tried to rescue their trapped coworkers. As of June 23, four of the injured men remained hospitalized. The workers are employed by Lucia, a subcontractor for Linbeck Group, LLC.

Severe storms swept through the area with wind gusts reported at more than 60 miles per hour shortly before the collapse. Workers were not cleared from the site in advance of the storm.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics construction work is one of the most dangerous occupations in Texas. In 2006—the most recent year for which figures exist—95 Texas construction workers died in accidents. There were 5,840 work-related fatalities in all occupations in the United States that year.
 
 
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