State officials say that a 26-year-old Antioch, California man was working as a temporary worker at a manufacturing plant in Contra Costa County last week when he was caught up in an industrial mixing machine. A spokesperson for the California Division of Safety and Health says that the man was employed by a Tennessee-based human resources firm.
The workplace accident victim reportedly was crushed in an industrial mixer at a manufacturing plant in Bay Point, California. Emergency crews were called in shortly before 11:20 Monday morning.
Officials say that the worker suffered major injuries in the industrial accident. He was taken to a Walnut Creek, California hospital. Authorities say that the man’s legs were amputated, but he later died as a result of his injuries.
Cal-OSHA investigators are investigating the fatal accident. Safety officials are looking into a variety of factors, including a probe into whether the machine was being properly operated at the time of the accident. Training issues are also within the scope of the fatal accident. Cal-OSHA will investigate whether the accident victim and other workers were properly trained in operating equipment at the plant.
The story involves two separate companies that will be under investigation. The accident victim reportedly worked for an out-of-state company, but was assigned to the California plant. Many industrial or construction accidents may involve difficult issues involving more than one company.
Generally, workers’ compensation laws provide employees who are injured on the job with an avenue to obtain benefits to compensate the worker for the workplace accident. But, workers’ compensation laws apply to the issues arising within the scope of employment–that is where an employee-employer relationship exists. When a third-party is involved, potential negligence issues of the third-party may be handled outside of the workers’ compensation laws.
Source: Contra Costa Times, “Antioch man dies in fatal industrial machine incident in Bay Point,” Natalie Neysa Alund, April 16, 2013
