Expand inspections

Monday, June 9, 2008 | 2:10 a.m.

Last week the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was called in to help Nevada OSHA inspect the massive CityCenter project being built on the Strip.

So far six workers have died at CityCenter, MGM Mirage’s $9.2 billion project, and state oversight has been called into question and criticized for being lax.

As Alexandra Berzon reported in Friday’s Las Vegas Sun, Nevada OSHA has apparently been overwhelmed with an inspection of CityCenter, which it started May 12. Tom Czehowski, chief administrative officer of Nevada OSHA, called the project “unprecedented” and said it was “essential that we conduct the comprehensive inspection as thoroughly — and as quickly — as possible.”

The federal help is certainly needed, but it shouldn’t be confined to CityCenter. As Berzon has previously reported, 11 workers were killed on Strip construction projects in the past 18 months, and state OSHA inspectors have been roundly criticized.

A Sun investigation found that the state has repeatedly reduced citations issued to construction companies following fatalities and in many cases withdrew them all together.

Workers shouldn’t have to take their lives in their hands every time they walk on a job site, and a week ago workers at CityCenter and the adjacent Cosmopolitan staged a one-day walkout to protest. They returned to work after the contractor, Perini Building Co., agreed to implement several new safety initiatives.

It is good to see some action being taken to protect workers because the current situation is unacceptable. When federal investigators arrive, they should expand their role to take a hard look at all of the Strip construction sites and send a clear message to builders: Safety must be improved.