Construction company owners in California are responsible for the safety and health of all their employees. This includes making sure that operators of all equipment are properly certified to work on the machines to which they are assigned. Employers who fail to comply with the safety regulations as prescribed by the California Division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration may create circumstances in which serious workplace injuries can be suffered, and even deaths.
It is not clear whether a recent fatal accident in Corona involved any safety violations, but that might be determined by an investigation by Cal/OSHA. Authorities say an incident that claimed the life of a 59-year-old employee of a construction company occurred at approximately 8 a.m. on a Tuesday in early May. Their reports indicate that the man was operating an excavator that tumbled over when it traveled over the edge of an embankment.
There are no details about the qualifications of the deceased excavator operator. There is also no indication of the company’s training program to make sure employees are aware of the safety hazards they face in the jobs they do. More details will only be available once the investigation is complete.
Although the surviving family members of the man who suffered fatal workplace injuries will likely have many unanswered questions, they can pursue assistance with the unanticipated financial burden they have to face. They can file survivors’ benefits claims with the California workers’ compensation insurance program. The benefits typically cover the high costs of end-of-life arrangements, along with a percentage of the deceased workers’ average weekly wage to help with day-to-day expenses in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Source: pe.com, “Man dies after excavator tumbles down an embankment in Corona”, Brian Rokos, May 3, 2017