Penn Jersey ASSP Chapter Meeting

Topic The Health & Safety Challenges of Building the Panama Canal

The construction of the Panama Canal is considered one of the deadliest construction projects in history. Howard will explore the hazards, the innovative responses, and the lingering environmental challenges. American planners and builders faced challenges that went far beyond politics and engineering. The deadly endemic diseases of yellow fever and malaria were dangerous obstacles that had already defeated French efforts to construct a Panama Canal in the 1880s. The terrain was inherently unstable, with frequent landslides that buried workers and equipment. Other industrial accidents included railroad accidents, electrocutions, and drownings. During the American effort, 5,609 of the 56,000 workers died over the eight years of construction.

Speaker Howard Spencer, CSP