BANGOR, Maine — Nine months and 118,000 hours of labor after nine Bangor city councilors used ceremonial shovels to break ground for construction of Bangor’s new civic arena and events center, there has been just one minor workplace violation at the site.
It resulted in a $200 fine assessed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to Sitewerx Inc., a subcontractor from Hermon, last December.
“In all, we’ve had three violations, all minor, and two are ongoing cases which may not result in any penalties,” said Tony Lemire, Bangor district office manager for OSHA. “I would anticipate within two weeks, we’ll have the most recent cases closed. I’m not anticipating any type of contest from anyone.”
The single OSHA violation resulted from not having every employee involved in an excavation being protected from possible cave-ins by an adequate system.
Lemire said what Cianbro has been able to do while managing and performing the ongoing construction of the new arena is nothing short of amazing.
“It’s very uncommon not to get complaints on a job that size,” Lemire said. “It wouldn’t be unusual for us to have to visit the site of a job this size once a month on average, but we’ve only had a couple visits total.”
And Lemire said in both cases, it wasn’t due to a complaint, a call, or requirement to make a certain number of visits.
“To be honest, we’ve had no outside calls or referrals for safety violations,” said Lemire.
That comes as no surprise to Cianbro senior project manager Jon DiCentes.
“We expect it because that’s how we operate. I can tell you that [the] safety and well-being of anyone connected with our projects starts at the top and trickles all the way down,” said DiCentes. “It’s not something we ever, ever take for granted.”
Cianbro recently reached a significant safety milestone, passing the 100,000 safe-hour mark with zero injuries, according to DiCentes.
“It’s all about attention to detail. That’s our culture,” said DiCentes. “We are proud of that and we tell people all the time not to be complacent.”
The $65 million arena is expected to open to the public on Labor Day weekend 2013.
Safety is Job One!
No doubt they are trying to impress OSHA snce these are the same folks that are gonna be the one’s that are gonna be on the jobsite when, and if, both the Bald Mountain and E-W Highway are ever built. Nothing like getting ahead with a few ‘Brownie point’s’ !
u funny on brownie points !!!
Cainbro has had for many years, the safest jobsites I’ve ever seen.
Not really deer isle bridge was not a safe one, especially when i worked there and two of our guys went in the shallow end of water, but still its not safe
What is your problem with Cianbro, an EMPLOYEE owned company with a spectacular safety record? Tell us what you want Mike.
How about Cianbro telling everyone the truth about the E-W Highway and the real reason why it’s being built and what they are gonna do for the Maine worker ? Cianbro has a history of complicating the job description’s for hiring to the point of being justified, or rationalized, in bringing in outside worker’s simply to pay at a lower wage rate. Given that the job is gonna be worked from both ends at once, once the route is ever finalized, this means that Cianbro is gonna be using Canadian labor since Cianbro has a history of writing needed worker’s job description’s so tightly, and specifically, that only Canadian worker’s can meet the job description’s at the lower wage rate.
And please, if this company was ever employee owned then why is trying to hide what could be a huge beneficial project, from the public, it’s project outline, which is the very means of gathering the public’s support ? No, Cianbro’s E-W project has a lot more going for it, and riding on it, that’s not being seen. This impressing OSHA is a clear 1st try to impress them in advance of later inspection’s that are gonna be made out in the wood’s, if this E-W road ever get’s going. And as far as spectacular goes, well, ‘gussying up’ a job site for a known inspection that’s coming doesn’t really impress those of us who have had to call the OSHA inspector’s when the boss decides his bonus is more important than those of us who really do the work’s safety and ability to go home with all parts attached. Been there, seen it, called it as it is and still survived the boss when he got the ‘slam’ for $ 20K worth of willful violations and deliberate disregard for safety reg’s.
Pure rubbish!
since it’s employee owned why can’t the owners (employees) fire Peter when he starts cutting Mainers jobs.
Good question Dave. Might just be asked when the E-W Project begins and is seen for what it really is.
Does this Employee own company you speak of allow employees to set their own hours and pay scale???.. The employees are not even represented it’s mumbo jombo to make you belive they care.. tell someone else who believes that crap
Huh? The employees do set their own pay scale at Cianbro. If they don’t like the market-driven pay that they are offered, they can work somewhere else. The employees are represented by themselves, which is the best way.
WOW!!! Who would be offering them their pay scale you speak of??? Do the employees sit on the Board??? If it is employee owned you would think they have a choice who runs the place.. Can the Employees fire Peter if not why not.??? Peter sure doesn’t own it. tell me more how the interest of of the owners (employees) are being represented.
We are still living in a capitalist country, aren’t we? It is the owners of the capital who make those decisions, and whoever owns the most shares has the largest say in how things are run. Laborers have the freedom to come and go as they please within a free economy, and their pay scale will be determined by the value of what they bring to the marketplace. It sounds like you are a big supporter of organized labor??
Not I don’t support unions, yet what is this game they are playing claiming that it is a employee owned company when the employees have no say about the company??? I mean I guess I have must have been mislead by what employee owned means. Where is their voice?? Peter(an employee) can fire or layoff the owners (employees) yet the owners can’t rein in Peter.. Where does he get his power from if he is just an employee like the shovel operator?? explan please?
Employee-owned doesn’t mean that everyone there is equal in power and influence, and I’ve never heard anyone at Cianbro make that claim. Employee-owned means that all employees share in the distribution of profits. You still need people to lead and make decisions–otherwise you’d have anarchy.
Your wrong on that . I will not mention how i know either
I’m wrong on what?
More cianbro/vigue propaganda?
Do the employees set Peters salary?
EMPLOYEE OWNED, REALLY?
Then why doesn’t the Employees appoint the whole board at Cianbro?? I have never heard of Cianbro employees appointing anyone to the board.
I see a class action lawsuit on behalf of the employees here. former and present.
Just as long as you don’t get hurt on the job while working for CHINBRO.
Yeah, those CA-1’s do tend to leave a trail of what happened, don’t they ? Not to mention that fact that they require OSHA to specifically declare what was the cause of the accident or injury. That automatically brings in the Workmen’s Comp’ folk’s, the commercial insurance adjuster’s and, worst of all, a demonstrated reason as to why additional REGULATION & OVERSIGHT need to be increased since the Company obviously either can’t or won’t.
another free ad for cianbro,wonder how many hours cianbro woodpeckers/chainsaw carpenters/painters put into building that fake last piece of iron , looks like its made out of 2x6s and some osb or a left over laminated floor stringer from some other job ,what a joke !!! lets hoist it to the highest point as if thats where the last piece was going, oops !! looks like it was going half that distance up by the other pic.
As a frequent observer of the construction, I can assure you that those beams are indeed real and part of the project.
As for the first beam, I think it says more about the Bangor Daily than Cianbro with the ridiculous claim that it’s the “highest point” of the arena. The Bangor Daily made that claim, even though it’s painfully obvious the beam isn’t close to the highest point. The reporter fudged and the copy desk (if it still exists) didn’t correct it, even though the photos showed otherwise. (Heck, all an editor had to do was peek through the window of a side office to see the beam, as the paper’s office are right across the street.)