Rep. Jim Himes released the following statement,which was read at today's L'Ambiance Plaza memorial today.
Regrettably I could not be present at the L’Ambiance Plaza memorial procession and wreath laying; however, I extend my sincerest greetings to everyone in attendance.
Today we pay tribute to the twenty-eight workers who lost their lives in the 1987 L’Ambiance Plaza collapse in Bridgeport. This tragedy highlighted the need for more comprehensive and preventative safeguards to be implemented at Connecticut’s commercial and industrial sites. We were reminded that this is an ongoing effort by the recent Kleen Energy plant explosion in Middletown that caused five deaths and over twenty injuries. These accidents, two of the worst disasters in Connecticut history, underline the obligation employers have to ensure that their personnel, members of Connecticut’s labor force, are safe from harm’s way when working.
In that regard, I would like to commend the efforts of groups such as the Fairfield County Labor Council, the Fairfield County Building Trades, the Connecticut State Building Trades and the Connecticut AFL-CIO, all of which have advocated for safer construction sites and workplaces.
I offer my condolences to those killed in the L’Ambiance Plaza collapse and the families affected by this heartrending accident. We owe it to the victims of the disasters that occurred in Bridgeport and Middletown to continue to promote and enact measures that make Connecticut’s workplaces safer.