Many years ago, I applied for life insurance. The insurance representative asked me where I was employed. Upon informing him that I was employed on the waterfront, even though I was a marine clerk, I was working in the third most dangerous industry and work place in the world.
In the past, since I have worked in the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor, I have witnessed, in the beginning, small injuries, small cuts, abrasions, strains and sprains, to more serious injuries as the machinery we work around and with get larger and larger. Today, when a large machine comes in contact with us, there is usually a very serious injury, even death.
I have had several friends comment on the fact that I do indeed make a very good wage for the little work I do. My answer is that I do make a very good wage, but I explain some of my work place and dangerous conditions. I work around several hundred ton machines, and the man operating that machine is in control of my safety, even though there are safety measures that I have learned to protect myself.
In my years of employment, I have worked with several members of ILWU, and learned of their death or injury several days later.
It is not only the actual danger of the machinery, but the things we work around. The rubber from the tires as they run around the terminals and wear out. We breath that dust. The coke and coal jobs, the sulfur, the raw cement, the containers that we don’t know what they contain, the scrap metal at the scrap terminals and all of the dangerous materials found there we don’t know about.
All of these things make our work place a high risk and a dangerous work place.
Usually, my friends, then understand most of our problems. But, the public is not informed of this because it is not politically correct and the politicians and lawyers couldn’t play their games.
Warren 40007
