A Michigan City construction worker says an accident at the sprawling Project Maize data center left him in severe pain and without workers' compensation, even as union videos and worker accounts crank up scrutiny on the roughly 800 million development.
Body-cam video puts data center safety under the microscope
IUOE Local 150 released body-camera footage, which it says shows a man falling from the Project Maize roof on Oct. 9, then later being carried away by co-workers, and the union argues the clip exposes gaps in supervision and emergency response, according to IUOE Local 150. The union says site cameras were shut off and that the security guard on duty reported supervisors were not present, which has fueled concerns that the injured worker may not have received a prompt medical evaluation.
The worker says he is ‘in extreme pain’ after the fall
Michael Grace, 54, told the Chicago Tribune he waited about 45 minutes on the ground after he was hurt and now lives with "extreme pain" in his neck, between his shoulder blades, and in his lower back. Grace said he cannot work and has not received workers' compensation, and he has launched a GoFundMe to help cover medical bills and basic expenses, the Tribune reports.
The company says it documented the incident and brought in an outside safety firm
Phoenix Construction, which is handling major portions of Project Maize, said it has "engaged an independent third-party safety and risk firm to conduct an additional assessment," and added that the Oct. 9 incident was documented and reported in accordance with workplace requirements, according to the Chicago Tribune. The company also pushed back on reports that heavy equipment had rolled onto or struck workers at the site.
OSHA cites surface issues as union raises broader alarm
Local 150 says OSHA inspectors told the union they found no evidence the worker hit his head in the fall and saw no indication that medical protocols were mishandled, but that the agency still issued a citation for failing to properly evaluate working surfaces, according to IUOE Local 150. The union argues that citation leaves unresolved its wider concerns about site oversight and the reluctance of some workers to report injuries because they fear immigration consequences or retaliation.
Big-money data project faces ongoing scrutiny
Project Maize, a redevelopment tied to tax abatements on the property at 402 Royal Road, advanced after Michigan City council approvals last fall, according to WNDU. With regulators now involved and union activists pressing for more transparency, city officials and labor leaders say they intend to keep pushing Phoenix and its project partners for clearer safety reporting as construction moves forward.
