The bulldozer driver killed Wednesday while working on the Port of Anchorage expansion had decades of experience and was foreman and safety officer on the project for contractor West Construction Co., the company president said in a written statement Thursday.
The statement identified him as Jack Button and said he had worked construction for 35 years.
"The loss of Jack is very personal as the Button and West families have been friends and worked together for almost 50 years," company president Brad West said in the statement.
West Construction was hired in 2010 to assess damage from work done under a previous contractor on the port expansion project, which is stalled because of the problems.
The expansion involves installing steel sheets in U-shaped cells to form a new dock structure, then filling in cells with gravel and dirt. But a number of the sheets previously installed were damaged. West has been excavating gravel already in place so the sheets can be inspected, then backfilling the cells.
"Jack was moving a load of dirt and gravel back in place when the ground collapsed under his bulldozer, sending the bulldozer into the water," the statement said. "Jack apparently jumped out of the dozer and became trapped in the debris."
He had taken many hours of safety training, the company said, including a 30-hour OSHA course and a 40-hour course in hazardous waste operations. He also was Alaska-certified in erosion and sediment control.
"The loss of Jack is a huge blow to this company, which is a close-knit group that has worked diligently to compile a perfect safety record," Brad West said in the statement. "All 25 of us considered Jack a friend and mentor.
The company brought in grief counselors and a chaplain on Thursday. It plans to resume operations today.
Button lived in Big Lake, according to his Facebook profile. He leaves behind two sons, Andy and Robin Button of Big Lake, his ex-wife, Lynn, and brother-in-law, Dennis Gardner of Winthrop, Wash., the company said. Brad West said he met with the family to offer help.
Anchorage-based West Construction specializes in heavy marine, civil and structural construction.
Reach Lisa Demer at ldemer@adn.com or 257-4390.
By LISA DEMER
ldemer@adn.com