Recent news reports that California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) has cited a fuel distribution company following a fatal workplace accident in Corona. According to the report, one worker was killed and another suffered severe burns when a 9,000-gallon tanker truck exploded. Cal/OSHA determined the company that employed the workers to perform welding operations on the truck failed to follow proper safety procedures, and this failure contributed to the incident. CalOSHA also found that the employer did not provide adequate training to its employees concerning the potential damages of working near combustible materials. Cal/OSHA had cited the Southern California company previously for similar incidents.
Following this incident, a Cal/OSHA representative commented, “California requires employers to have and adhere to an Injury and Illness Prevention Program … This preventable death is a reminder of what can happen when that requirement is ignored.”
While California’s workers compensation insurance generally provides the sole compensation when a worker is injured or suffers a injury or wrongful death, in certain instances it may be possible to file a third party civil lawsuit. In the event of a serious accident, filing a personal injury or wrongful death claim may provide an injured party and his or her family with more comprehensive and fair compensation than filing a worker’s compensation claim alone. An experienced work place accident lawyer can investigate the circumstances surrounding an incident and determine the best course of action in your matter.
For more information, or if you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury at work, please contact the experienced Oakland personal injury attorneys at Viadro Law, LLP for an immediate, confidential consultation.
