A History of Occupational Health in Southern Nevada, 1905--2010

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 8-2011 Gambling with lives: A history of occupational health in southern Nevada, 1905--2010 Michelle Ann Turk University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Labor Relations Commons, Legal History Commons, Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Commons, Social History Commons, and the United States History Commons Repository Citation Turk, Michelle Ann, "Gambling with lives: A history of occupational health in southern Nevada, 1905--2010" (2011). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 1226. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/2817477 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GAMBLING WITH LIVES: A HISTORY OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH IN SOUTHERN NEVADA, 1905-2010 By Michelle Ann Turk Bachelor of Arts University of California, Irvine 2004 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in History History Department College of Liberal Arts The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas August 2011 Copyright by Michelle Ann Turk, 2011 All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend the dissertation prepared under our supervision by Michelle Ann Turk entitled Gambling with Lives: A History of Occupational Health in Southern Nevada, 1905-2010 be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in History Department of History David Wrobel, Committee Chair Eugene Moehring, Committee Member David Tanenhaus, Committee Member Andrew Kirk, Committee Member Robert Futrell, Graduate College Representative Ronald Smith, Ph. D., Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate College August 2011 ii ABSTRACT Gambling with Lives: A History of Occupational Health in Southern Nevada, 1905-2010 By Michelle Ann Turk Dr. David Wrobel, Examination Committee Chair Professor of History University of Nevada, Las Vegas In April 2009, the Pulitzer committee awarded its public service prize to the Las Vegas Sun for its coverage of the high fatalities on Las Vegas Strip construction sites. The newspaper attributed failures in safety policy to “the exponential growth in the Las Vegas market.” In fact, since Las Vegas’ founding in 1905, rapid development in the region has always strained occupational health standards. From transporting hazardous railroad cargoes to building Hoover Dam, chemical processing at Basic Magnesium, nuclear testing, and dense megaresort construction on the Strip, workers, residents, and tourists alike have been exposed to the threat of living in close proximity to large-scale industries. In the process, workplace injuries and fatalities became an accepted risk. The safety lapses produced several cataclysmic disasters– carbon monoxide poisoning at Hoover Dam, atmospheric nuclear testing and the Baneberry disaster at the Nevada Test Site, the MGM Grand and Hilton fires, and the Pacific Engineering Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON) explosion. After each disaster, public outcry prompted federal, state, and municipal governments to implement rigorous changes. But in the pro- business state of Nevada, laissez-faire always prevailed. Adherence to occupational health has therefore been historically boom and bust in southern Nevada. iii This study examines the region’s most hazardous industries, emphasizing how the medical community interpreted and responded to the risks they posed. While existing scholarship discusses the region’s political, economic, and cultural history, none examines the intersections of medical and labor history. It advances the scholarship by providing the first comprehensive history of occupational health at southern Nevada’s public works, defense, and resort industries. Since no other place contains this mixture of industrial and postindustrial sites, the region offers unique opportunities to evaluate the development of health care and safety in the twentieth century American workplace. By providing a deeper understanding of the history of occupational health crises and responses, the study informs efforts to address present and future crises in the region. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation is the result of support and friendship from many people. Since the passing of my original committee chair, Hal Rothman, I was fortunate to gain a mentor and friend, David Wrobel. As my committee chair, he enthusiastically supported my project, and provided the inspiration and advice I needed to finish. Committee member Eugene Moehring has been an important advisor as well, providing expertise on the history of Nevada. I am also honored to have worked with committee members David Tanenhaus, Andrew Kirk, and Robert Futrell, all of whom enhanced my graduate school experience. Michael Green has been a great friend throughout the process, teaching me how to navigate southern Nevada’s archives. I appreciate all the time he took to help me out. University of Nevada, Las Vegas Special Collections deserves much credit, providing most of my archival material. It became my second home and has an amazing staff, especially Sue Kim Chung and Thomas Summers. Crystal Van Dee and Paul Carson of the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas were helpful as well, allowing me to come early and stay late to finish my research. Dennis McBride of the Boulder City Museum, as well as Shirl Naegle and Judith Irons, enhanced my chapter on Hoover Dam. Mary Palevsky of the Nevada Test Site Oral History Project produced an amazing collection, and I thank her for inviting me to tour the Nevada Test Site twice. My special thanks to Randy Thompson at the National Archives at Riverside, the University of California, Berkeley’s Bancroft Library and University of California, San Diego’s Mandeville Special Collections Library for accommodating my research. I am also grateful for financial support from the Harold L. Boyer and Judith Boyer Fellowship, the Charles v Redd Center Summer Award, the President’s Fellowship at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and of course, my husband, Don Turk. This dissertation is dedicated to my family and friends. My grandfather, Kirk Cammack, inspired the topic. The southern Nevada medical community has been fascinating to me since I was little, thanks to my larger-than-life grandfather. Special thanks to my parents, Tom and Carol, for being wonderfully supportive of my creativity and fostering my education at a young age. My uncle and aunt, Kirk and Maggi, have always been an inspiration and showered me with love. Nick and Sue Alexopoulos taught me the importance of a university education, and I am a better person for knowing them. I owe my stepmother, Maggie, and in-laws, Don and Marge, for supporting me, as well as my siblings Diana, Kirk, and Samantha. I have wonderful friends that helped me throughout the process. Brianne Hunter’s humor continues to make me laugh, and Catherine Brinks and Meghann Lowery inspired me to finish. I am grateful to Leisl Carr Childers, Michael Childers, Lincoln Bramwell, and Charlie Deitrich for being excellent friends as well, providing important advice during each phase of my project. Finally, I want to thank my husband, Don, for his encouragement throughout my doctorate. You helped me fulfill my dream. Thank you. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... iii ACNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................... v INTRODUCTION DEAD ROSES IN A BLOOMING DESERT .......................................... 1 Dying to Work .................................................................................................................... 8 The State of Contradictions .............................................................................................. 15 CHAPTER 1 THE RAILROAD ................................................................................................ 23 Desert Company Town ..................................................................................................... 27 Railroad Slaughter ............................................................................................................ 33 Roadside Health ................................................................................................................ 45 Volenti Non Fit Injuria ..................................................................................................... 59 Ending the Road ................................................................................................................ 66 CHAPTER 2 THE DAM .........................................................................................................

Load more