Labor Firm Fined $74,125 For Farm Worker’s Death
January 12, 2012
A California labor contracting company was fined Wednesday for their part in the death of a worker who overheated this summer. According to City News Service, the company failed to train employees and supervisors on how to identify and treat symptoms of heat illness and did not have emergency procedures in place to safeguard employees.
Investigators say the incident occurred on July 7th 2011. It was a hot day with the mercury rising to nearly 102 degrees. Humidity only compounded the heat in which the 47-year-old farm hand was lifting 40 pound boxes of cantaloupes onto the back of a truck. The worker suffered cardiac arrest from the heat and collapsed that afternoon. He was pronounced dead hours later at an area hospital.
The director for the Department of Industrial Relations’ Occupational Safety and Health division, Christine Baker, said that the consulting firm responsible for the worker was fined $74,125 by the state.
Unfortunately, the deceased worker’s family will never see a penny of that money. The family would have to file a civil wrongful death lawsuit against the company in order to receive any kind of compensation for their loss.
Often times the process of filing a wrongful death claim can be confusing and complicated. That is why the California wrongful death attorneys with the Walter Clark Legal Group are here to help. If you have wrongfully lost a loved one, Call us today to discuss your case further.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Tags: blythe farmhand overheats and dies, california personal injury lawyer, California Workers' Compensation Lawyer, California Wrongful Death Attorney, california wrongful death lawyer, Walter Clark Legal Group