Perry's words fuel construction protest

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Gov. Rick Perry's words regarding construction safety are fueling a demonstration Wednesday outside his office in a call to end the number of deaths in the Texas construction industry.

The Workers Defense Project, construction workers and community supporters are protesting Perry's comments they said disregard the risks faced by construction workers, which come on the heels of a report revealing 142 Texas construction workers died on the job in 2007.

The Workers Defense Project said Perry dismissed the need for improving safety regulations by saying: "We have enough oversight to keep our citizens safe." Perry also said Texans should be "wary of over-regulation" in the construction industry.

They are comments the Workers Defense Project said demonstrate a callous disregard for the Texas construction men and women who needlessly die on the job each year.

The "Building Austin, Building Injustice" report by the Workers Defense Project also found one in five Austin construction workers suffered a serious injury on the job and that Texas lags far behind the recommended number of investigators to enforce safety and wage laws.

"The federal government thought that there was enough of a problem to send more OSHA investigators to Texas," said Emily Timm, with the Workers Defense Project.

The protest coincides with the Austin Police Department's announcement of the investigation into the June deaths of three construction workers who fell 11 stories at the 21 Rio condos for criminal charges of negligent homicide due improper scaffolding installation on site.

"We need real leadership from Texas legislators, including Gov. Perry on this issue, so that hardworking construction workers won't needlessly have to die on the job," said Timm.

Timm said the police department's investigation into the men's deaths signifies the larger problem in Texas of companies not being held accountable for the safety of their workers.

With about half as many deaths, California follows Texas as the state with the second-highest number of deaths at 81.