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The landslide on Oct. 15 was a man-made disaster that should have been prevented long before it began and there were likely already signs of it beforehand that were ignored, according to contractors who attended the Guam Contractors Association’s Safety Conference on Friday. “It was a very eye-opening event and it’s keeping us on our toes to make sure everything is correct,” Joanne Messier, president of the National Association of Women in Construction, NAWIC, told the Pacific Daily News. Messier said the industry is very disappointed by the cliffside erosion and landslide. The Department of Public Works, in a notice of violation issued to Tutujan Hill Group, a construction and engineering firm attached to the high-end, cliffside The Palisades subdivision development, said inadequate stormwater controls at the site resulted in the erosion and collapse of the East Hagåtña cliff face on Oct. 15. Contractors echoed DPW’s statement that the landslide was a serious incident that caused a lot of concern and inconvenience for Guam residents. Messier said the incident, which should have been prevented, is no different from when Marbo Cave was buried in sludge by solar farm development. “We have no control over [natural disasters]. This was preventable, and that’s the key word. This didn’t have to happen,” Messier said. Messier said contractors should always try to do their best at every job site to assess and prepare for risks. “All the environmental protection agencies try to make sure we do everything we can to prevent bad things from happening, [but] it is our responsibility to re-inspect our work,” Messier said. “We don’t need situations like this happening, and we don’t need someone else coming in to investigate. Being proactive is constantly setting up, verifying, assessing, and mentoring safety, quality, and health.” NAWIC past president Ann Marie Pelobello, also the founder of OSH Solutions Guam, said the landslide would have been prevented with proper preparation and planning. “When you grade or before you start to remove vegetation on high ground or low ground, things should have been prepped and set up,” Pelobello said. “If it’s been set up, before any of the grading can start, those need to be double checked, because overnight is when situations happen.” NAWIC’s Messier said the incident may have also eroded the trust between contractors, the public and the Guam Environmental Protection Agency. “No one can be everywhere at once [but] people have to trust us,” Messier said. “If anyone’s disappointed, it’s mostly GEPA. They trusted [Tasi Vista] to follow the permits and follow the regulations they approved in the permitting process.” Tasi Vista Development is the developer for The Palisades subdivision. Messier said she expects that Guam EPA will now work “twice as hard to make sure this does not happen again.” She said she also hopes the contractor will take full accountability and reconcile with Guam EPA and the community. “The mitigation efforts to correct what went wrong are huge. It was very disappointing, because contractors are supposed to be professional,” Messier said. “That’s why you hire a contractor. That’s why not everyone does their own home improvements.” Bryant Ignacio, Hensel Phelps senior safety manager, asks the public to help forgive and continue trusting the industry, looking forward to future projects. “It’s going to be a collective effort to make sure things like this don’t happen again. To point the finger and say this is the cause, there’s more to that than saying we can’t trust contractors,” Ignacio said. “It’s a collective effort with the community and everyone we do business with here in Guam.” Safety conference They were interviewed during the Guam Contractors Association’s 25th Annual Joseph Leasiolagi “Samoan Joe” Safety Conference on Thursday and Friday at Hyatt Regency Guam. The safety conference brought together 160 workplace safety professionals, business leaders, and government officials for two days of comprehensive safety training and networking. GCA said the conference marked a quarter-century of its commitment to workplace safety education and featured expert speakers addressing critical safety challenges across construction, tourism, retail, wholesale, and government sectors. The conference featured Jesse Pangelinan from Guam Department of Labor’s OSHA On-Site Consultation Program, leading multiple sessions on warehousing pallet rack safety, fire and life safety protocols, electrical safety for general industry, and repair shop safety. Additional presentations included: Diana Thurber, University of Maryland, on Ethical Use of AIJesse Libby and Mark Torre Jr. on mental health awareness in the workplaceJohnny Cruz, OICC Safety, on hazard communication and Safety 2 methodologiesAsh Chargualaf on silica safety awareness “Every worker deserves to return home safely to their families each day,” Guam Contractors Association education director Francine Taitague said. “This conference provided invaluable insights that could save lives and protect organizations across all industries.” According to national statistics, workplace injuries cost businesses billions of dollars annually in medical expenses, workers’ compensation claims, and lost productivity, making safety education a critical investment for any organization.
