No smoking zone

Second Place

Feature Story

Division 2

No smoking zone

Michelle Myers

Grade 11

Hi-Lite

Manheim Township HS

Adviser: Marty Pflieger

Security issues have raised some eyebrows among students with construction workers on campus.

However, Manheim Township has placed an emphasis on students’ safety with workers in the building.

Melissa Frederick ’09 said, “It is amazing to see the number of students who don’t see potential safety as an issue. These workers are all over campus. Maybe there should be concern.”

Principal David Hanna explained the important qualifications that a worker must live up to in order to be hired for the job.

According to Hanna, a worker must first meet the district’s background credentials. Then the worker undergoes a major check of criminal history.

Dan Cicala, principal of Fidevia [one of the main construction contractors for the building project] stated “Manheim Township High School has the most stringent guidelines in permitting a construction worker on campus.”

Workers undergo three layers of background checks where the first is a formal background check in which a criminal check is conducted that checks for major offenses of any kind.

Next, there is a child abuse check and if there is any sign of child abuse history, the worker has no chance on the campus.

The final round of checks is the most informative, a FBI check. This shows any offenses from robbery to prior D.U.I.’s.

If any minor offenses have shown up and have happened within the last 18 months, a construction worker will not be permitted here, but if the minor offense has been within the past five years, than it really is not an issue according to Cicala.

Township highly emphasizes a no-tolerance policy for any kind of abuse.

If there is any kind of abuse in the worker’s background, the worker will not be permitted on campus.

Assistant principal Gary Yocum stated his belief that student safety is an important value of the school district. Yocum said that student safety should never be compromised.

“We have to make sure the campus is safe so that students’ lives are not at risk,” Yocum commented.

Workers must always wear their identification badges on their hard hats, pants, or shirts. Report of construction workers smoking on campus has also been brought to the school’s attention.

According to the administrative staff, workers are not permitted to smoke on campus under any circumstances. Principal David Hanna explained that if a worker is caught smoking, that worker will be fired on the spot.

James Miller, the Fidevia construction administrator, works his best as enforcing the no-smoking policy. “If I catch a worker with a cigarette then I report them to the head contractor. I then ask the [on site] contractor if he can remove the worker from the site,” Miller stated.

Cicala cannot help but agree with Miller and states, “If they are caught in school, they are fired.” Together Miller and Cicala are working on more strict policies in regards to smoking.

Cicala commented, “If the worker does have a smoking problem, for instance, let’s say he is a chain smoker, than perhaps this project is not for him.”

Dale Myers, head of security, is working along with Cicala and Miller to help enforce security.

He believes that id anything does happen it jeopardizes both the worker and the contractor. “We are trying our best to stop the problems before they happen,” said Myers.

As far as student and worker interactions, Principal David Hanna says, “Our work should not interfere with the construction worker’s work. Even though we work in the same environment, our work shouldn’t overlap.”

Workers have been told to keep on walking if a student wants to chat, just because there should be no communication unless completely necessary.

Cicala added, “We have a respectful relationship [with workers and the students] and that’s how it should remain.”