Commissioner Pat Nutter
Prince Frederick, MD – An opponent’s statement that the plan to convert a local gas plant into an import facility is rife with safety issues drew a response from a county commissioner. The exchange took place Tuesday, March 31, one day after a construction worker was seriously injured at Dominion Cove Point Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Plant in Lusby.
According to a spokesman for the lead contractor for the Cove Point Liquefaction project—IHI/Kiewit—the worker was injured Monday, March 30 “during a rebar cage unloading operation. Calvert County emergency crews responded to the 911 call. The worker was transported to Prince George’s Hospital Center for treatment.”
During the Calvert County Commissioners’ weekly meeting’s public comment segment, Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community representative Tracey Eno noted that, in addition to the Monday accident, a rear end collision involving a Kiewit truck had occurred March 26 on Cove Point Road.
“People are getting hurt,” said Eno, who claimed the worker was injured when “a 50,000 pound rebar wall fell over. A crane was required to pick it up.” Eno attributed her information to statements heard on a police scanner.
Noting that Dominion is constantly touting safety as a priority, Eno added, “actions speak louder than words. So what’s going on? Why does a wall fall over? Faulty engineering? Shoddy craftsmanship? Rushing the job? If this is what we get now, what happens when it’s time to fire up the liquefaction train? How can we be assured that it will be safe? We still don’t have a safety study.”
Although the commissioners rarely engage in discussions with members of the public offering comments, Commissioner Pat Nutter [R – District 2] felt compelled to respond to Eno’s remarks.
“You would be hard to find any construction job where there isn’t some sort of injury,” said Nutter who explained he has worked construction and investigated numerous work-related accidents during his 35-year law enforcement career. “I’ve been to many local accidents. It’s not unusual to have an injury on a construction job, even the smallest construction jobs.” Nutter indicated his investigative experience even involved accidents where a worker was killed.
Nutter also disputed Eno’s claim that a wall had toppled over, prompting her to ask, “what did happen?”
“I’m not here to debate you,” said Nutter.
Kiewit spokesman Tom Janssen told The Bay Net Tuesday, March 31 that operations and work in the area where Monday’s incident occurred “remain suspended.”
Janssen was not available Wednesday, April 1 to provide updated information as this story was being filed.
The name of the worker, the nature of his injuries and his condition have not been divulged.
Janssen said IHI/Kiewit Cove Point, AJV was conducting an investigation. Federal authorities, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, were immediately notified of the incident Monday, Janssen said.
in addition to members of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Team, local fire, rescue and emergency medical services crews were dispatched to the plant after the accident occurred.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com