IAM # 23O5 DEPT.OF PUBLIC WORKS SCRANTON,PA

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

# 23O5 DEPT.OF PUBLIC WORKS SCRANTON,PA

News

video cameras for dpw

8/9/2004
Scranton Times Tribune home : news : news : local A view to safer garbage pickups By Lynne Slack Shedlock TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER 08/10/2004 Five video cameras expected to improve safety on and around the city's Department of Public Works trucks have arrived, but it's not enough to suit DPW union president Sam Vitris. The cameras give drivers a wide-angle view of the side and back of the trucks to help prevent the type of accident that killed DPW worker Gerald Malone last November. Mr. Malone fell off a truck and was run over. Advertisement "We're happy the city began to purchase the cameras for the safety of the employees but we're also disappointed the city didn't purchase (one for every garbage and recycling truck)," Mr. Vitris said. DPW Director George Parker ordered five cameras to add to the one the city was already using on a trial basis. Mr. Malone's widow, Leila Malone, is among those heavily lobbying for the cameras to improve safety. She has complained the city is dragging its feet on the measure. Mr. Vitris thought the city was ordering enough cameras to put on all 15 garbage and recycling trucks. But Mr. Parker said he wants to see how well the cameras operate on different types of trucks and how well the company honors its warranty before buying the rest. The cameras cost $1,850 each, he said. Mr. Vitris said the union does not like having some crews protected by the cameras and others not. He said the cameras also protect the public. "We don't want to have something happen to someone. I'm concerned about that," he said. "I strongly urge the city to purchase all the cameras." Mr. Vitris said the company that sold the cameras is highly regarded. "They're used all around the country," he said. "There's no doubt the warranty will stand. Three months (testing on a truck) is certainly long enough to review anything." Susan Price Zotnyia has also been advocating for more safety measures since the 1991 death of her uncle. Richard Price, 52, of Scranton, died after falling off the back of a recycling truck. She and her sister, Debbie, have organized candlelight vigils in the past to honor her uncle and other fallen DPW workers, such as Mark Krolak, 36, who died after being hit by a truck on Jan. 14, 1998. "I'm just glad to see that they are finally putting cameras on the truck," Ms. Price Zotnyia said. "We're still working to have a plaque put up in their honor."

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Last modified: 2/18/2010