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Recent Updates
July 23, 2008
Salmonella Food Poisoning Exposes FDA's Weak Record
July 22, 2008
Doctor Arrested for Los Angeles Sexual Assault
July 21, 2008
Nine Injured in Sonoma County Bus Accident
July 18, 2008
Home Care Elder Abuse Cases on the Rise
July 17, 2008
Los Angeles Comedian Arrested for Murrieta Sexual Battery
July 16, 2008
8 Dead as Vehicles Plunge into Canal After Central Valley Car Accident
July 15, 2008
Man Accused in Fatal Fresno Multi-Car Accident Surrenders
July 14, 2008
Anaheim Doctor Convicted of Sexual Assault of a Minor
July 11, 2008
Report Says Power Lines to Blame for San Diego Fire
July 10, 2008
Boat Operator to Face DUI Charges in Manteca, California Boating Accident
Archives
Workplace Injuries
Man Killed in Tustin Wood Chipper Incident
November 09, 2007
A 24-year-old man was killed in a grisly incident on Wednesday, when he fell into a wood chipper in a Tustin, California cul-de-sac. The man has been identified as Gabriel Gonzalez Ferrer, an Orange resident. The exact how's and why's of the death aren't available at this point but coworkers report that the man was standing at the back end of the chipper feeding braches onto the machine. A moment later, they said, he was gone. The grisly remains were only identified on Thursday. Initial investigators at the scene couldn't even tell whether the mangled mess trapped in the blades of the chipper was a man or woman. The chipper along with the truck had to be towed away before investigators could begin conducting DNA rests to ascertain the identity of the victim. The incident has raised questions yet again regarding the safety aspects of mobile wood chippers. This machinery is a huge danger to workers according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. A person standing at the mouth of the chipper feeding branches into the chute could easily be pulled in and trapped in its blades or get struck by the opening and closing hood of the machine. A total of 31 people have died as a result of wood chipper accidents in the ten year period from 1992 to 2002. And yet nothing seems to have been done to either make these death traps safer or phase them out altogether from the workplace. The wood chippers remain popular among tree companies because of the efficiency they offer. Wood branches can easily be converted into tiny fragments. So too can humans, it seems. A defective machine can cause irreparable physical damage. If you've suffered a work injury as a result of the faulty design of a piece of machinery, you have every right to seek compensation. Call the California personal injury lawyers at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.
South American Field Workers Seek Justice in Los Angeles Courtroom
August 13, 2007
Pesticides are widely used by produce companies to eliminate the bugs and other pests that ruin crops and endanger our food supply. Unfortunately, sometimes those companies willingly use pesticides that harm their workers and consumers.
According to the Los Angeles Times, twelve impoverished field workers are currently fighting for fair compensation in a Los Angeles, California courtroom after a pesticide used by their former employer, Dole Food Co., allegedly left them sterile. According to the Nicaraguan banana workers filing suit, they worked for decades with the pesticide DBCP, but weren't told until the 90's that the chemical can possibly lead to sterility.
DBCP, which is short for its full name dibromochloropropane, was introducted in 1950's as a way to kill the parastic roundworms that frequently ruined American crops. In 1977, six workers who used the chemical at a California petroleum plant sued the manufactuer of DBCP after test results revealed they were sterile, and won a $4.9 million dollar judgement. In 1979, the EPA banned the compound from use on all produce except pinapples, and banned it from use on pineapples as well in 1985. These facts make Dole's continued use of the chemical in foreign countries, where EPA has no authority, all the more infuriating.
Since the chemical has been shown to have harmful effects on humans, over 30,000 field workers from countries such as Africa, Latin America, and the Phillipines have used the help of personal injury attorneys to seek compensation from companies that knowingly use DBCP.
In America, the EPA strictly monitors pesticides by performing exhaustive studies on their effects on consumers and the enviornment. Even when a pesticide is approved for use, the EPA issues strict guidelines for its use based on its toxicity class. It's shameful when a company takes avantage of lax pesticide laws in some other countries, and willingily exposes its workers to chemicals shown to be harmful.
Every company has an obligation to provide a safe working environment for all of its employees. You could have a claim for damages against your employer through a worker's compensation action. In some circumstances under California law, you may be entitled to a direct action against your employer if your employer knew of the harmful effects of toxics in the work environment. If you feel you have been seriously injured or poisoned in your place of employment, call the experienced California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group for a consultation.
