by CPWR
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| CaveLight Films will release this documentary exposing the failings that allowed six construction workers to die on one Las Vegas project over just 19 months. The filmmaker is seeking funds to complete his work. |
APHA’s focus on occupational safety and health for 2011 may get a boost from “Cost of Construction,” a new documentary that will examine the complex safety issues and failings that allowed six construction workers to die while building CityCenter, the $9.2 billion Las Vegas strip project of six skyscrapers holding cutting-edge hotels, casinos, restaurants, spas and luxury condos. Filmmaker Jordan Ehrlich and his team have been documenting the events and underlying issues behind the deaths on the project, shooting high-definition film to capture workers on the site, researching documents, collecting footage, and interviewing those involved.
“These deaths shone a light on a subject that really goes unnoticed by the media,” said Ehrlich. “Four construction workers die every day on U.S. worksites, on average, but until CityCenter and the crane collapses that killed a number of workers in early 2008, it’s not gotten the attention it deserves.”
Ehrlich and his team interviewed Las Vegas Sun reporter Alexandra Berzon, who won a Pulitzer for her coverage of the CityCenter deaths and issues, as well as federal officials, union leaders, and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee. In addition, APHA Occupational Health and Safety Section member Dr. Janie Gittleman was interviewed for the film. Gittleman led a team of researchers from her organization, CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, and from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, in a site safety assessment of CityCenter. The team developed four reports, along with a list of 17 recommendations found in this report.
Although Ehrlich’s team has acquired hundreds of records and information from the closed death investigation reports plus footage of interviews, news reports, and congressional hearings, Ehrlich needs additional resources to interview key federal officials and contractors who are no longer connected with the project and want to go on record about their experience.
“These interviews can expose the national significance buried in the controversy that surrounds the deaths and 1,000 injuries at CityCenter,” said Ehrlich, who has written and produced documentaries for Discovery Channel, New Line Cinema, A&E Network and Animal Planet. “What happened at CityCenter has implications that reach beyond the construction industry. At its core, this is a story about the complexity of corporate and personal responsibility during an era of massive government deregulation.”
A trailer of the film, which gives an overview of the project, one family’s tragic loss, and some of the key people interviewed, along with time-lapse photography of the site’s progress, can be found at CaveLight Films’ website, http://www.cavelightfilms.com/cost-of-construction. The site also provides links to the film’s synopsis and a way to make a tax-deductible contribution fund the film’s completion. “Cost of Construction” is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.