photo by: Craig Howell

United Steelworkers Local 2911 President Mark Glyptis discusses the importance of safety in the workplace as part of Thursday’s fallen steelworker memorial ceremony in Weirton.

WEIRTON — Noting the importance of safety and the loss of one life as too many, local steelworkers and union officials joined members of the community and other guests Thursday in honoring the lives of the more than 120 lost at Weirton’s steel mill throughout its operational history.

The Weirton Steelworkers Memorial, located at the intersection of County Road and Pennsylvania Avenue, was established so generations would remember the names of those who died as a result of injuries sustained at the local steel mill.

Lewis Chaney was the first, on April 11, 1919, with only four — Frank Yanocha, Andrew Kazienko, Stephen Lamalfa, and Paul Ellis — losing their lives in the next 11 years.

Ten workers would be lost in the 1930s, with 37 in the 1940s, 27 in the 1950s, 17 in the 1960s, and 13 in the 1970s.

United Steelworkers 2911 President Mark Glyptis, who claims more than 50 years as a mill employee, said the idea of safety in the workplace wasn’t always on the minds of leaders or workers.

“When I came into the mill, safety wasn’t an issue; it wasn’t a top concern for the company or the union,” Glyptis said.

Much of that changed, he said, in the 1980s, following the launch of the Employee Stock Ownership Program at Weirton Steel, as investments were made to better protect the men and women in the workforce.

Those efforts are visible with lower losses in the decades that followed — seven in the 1980s, and only four in the 1990s. It would be another 20 years before the Weirton mill would experience an injury-related death, with the loss of Timothy Poch in May 2020.

Glyptis said the officials at Cleveland-Cliffs continue to look out for the safety of employees, not wanting to add any more names to the memorial.

“Our goal is to have zero fatalities, and zero serious injuries,” he said, noting work continues by the company to bring a transformer production facility to the community. “We have learned from our past. The future ought to be a bright one.”

Mayor Dean Harris, who, himself, spent 48 years in the mill, working in the strip steel and tin mill facilities, recalled the lack of focus on safety over the years, saying employees’ priorities were to get their jobs done.

“We have three important objectives; go to work, do your job and go home to your families,” he said.

He knew, firsthand, though, that didn’t always happen, relaying the story of Gerald “Jake” Gibson, who died on Aug. 31, 1978. Harris knew Gibson in high school, saying he didn’t intend to be a long-time employee of Weirton Steel.

Three days before an accident in the blooming mill which took his life, Harris said he and Gibson had been playing basketball at the Millsop Community Center, and he learned Gibson had interviewed for a management position at the shoe store.

“Those are the stories we can’t forget,” he said, noting Gibson had a family and plans for the future.

He pointed to some of the advances in safety measures over the years, including no longer issuing salt tablets or using certain chemical degreasers, and the use of hearing protection.

Del. Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, also was invited to speak, urging those gathered to not forget those who have been lost, and, if possible, to relay their stories to the next generations.

“We have to remember to honor those who came before us,” he said.

The service concluded with Pastor Gary Lilly reciting his poem, “Here’s to you, Weirton,” with the Rev. Robert Macek and the Rev. Kenny Jacobs reading the names of those listed on the monument, accompanied by Enid Williams ringing a bell for each name.