Disregard for Human Life

The Bench recorded these image of today's construction on the northeast corner of W. Morse and N. Greenview in Rogers Park at 9:25 a.m. The man is cutting pavement without wetting it while his partner stands close by. Wetting the pavement, according to self-proclaimed pavement cutting expert Thomas J. Westgard, "is the proper technique" - this is why a wet saw is called a wet saw.

The rest of this post is based on the expertise of Mr. Westgard, who is expert in Everything Known to Man.

According to Mr. Westgard, the absence of water causes finely divided particles to fill the air. These particles then drift into the crevices in the lungs and stay there, in a process very similar to black lung that affects coal miners. Another option, not perfect but better anyway, would be to wear an OSHA mask. In any event, this is a cloud of toxins with a human in it, taken today on a public street in Alderman Joe Moore's 49th Ward. The cloud, as you can see, engulfed passing pedestrians who are now victims of Joe Moore's callous disregard for human life.

Also notable is the lack of safety goggles on the worker standing nearby. The device this man is standing near runs at something like 4,000 rpm, and the carbide wheel is designed to flake off as it grinds. If something flew from the saw, notes Mr. Westgard, it could hit the man who has no goggles in his eye, thereby blinding him permanently and causing the next twelve generations of his family to suffer horribly.

Ideally these are only small flakes of powder size, notes Mr. Westgard, but sometimes a carbide wheel is defective, or the workpiece has an inclusion, like an unexpected metal bolt, and the wheel can shatter and send larger chunks of material flying at high speed into the surrounding area. A full facemask for both men would be a good option here, says Westgard, but what's truly essential is protecting the eyes. Granted, testicles are also important, but I've lived my whole life without one. Thank God I still have both eyeballs. It's one thing to have a scar on your cheek; it's something else entirely to lose an eye. The cutter's partner has nothing but air between the point of cutting and his corneas.

Finally, says Mr. Westgard, this is the wrong tool for the job. In this context, there's plenty of room for a much safer tool - a table wetsaw. As anyone who has used a chainsaw for wood knows, there's a serious risk of kickback or overcut with a hand tool like this one. That's one reason why sawmills use stationary saws wherever possible - the other is that you get better cuts with a stationary tool. Sometimes you have to use the more dangerous hand tool, and if that's what the job requires, then you do it. But this man is suffering the unnecessary risk that this tool will fly out of control. You might also notice the gasoline can a couple of scant feet from the hot saw blade. One spark or hot flying piece of debris could ignite the gasoline, thereby immolating both men and, possibly, any passersby.

Looks like Alderman Moore and Mayor Daley are getting their costs cut - but not without putting human beings at risk of injury or death. It should be added that Mr. Westgard did nothing to remedy this situation, nor will he offer aid or comfort to either of these men or any of the pedestrians who involuntarily inhaled this nightmare cloud of toxins.

Remember how Lorraine Swanson published a story about the supposed "toxic plume" of asbestos that was floating through the north end of Loyola Park from the North Shore School? 

Damn, that was a great job of reporting. She accurately reported what the Illinois environmental authorities said. Aside from being timely, that story had the unintended effect of making Joe Moore look like an uncaring, out of touch fool. The truth hurts, you know, and Mr. Moore was undoubtedly embarrassed by being caught with his pants down, so to speak. Here is an actual picture of a human being in a toxic plume in Rogers Park, working on a public sector job for the City of Chicago. 

Unfortunately for the likes of Joe Moore, Jim Ginderske, and all the other fakes who pretend to be champions of the People, the very Government that they suck at the teat of and look to for protection is responsible for it. If Thomas J. Westgard wants to hunts down dangerous plumes, will he hunt down this one? Will he go after the City of Chicago for its medieval labor practices?

Don't hold your breath.