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Fatality Cases Bring Citations

Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has cited several more employers after investigating 2025 workplace fatalities. The incidents themselves were first reported in the pages of Cal-OSHA Reporter. Herc Rentals, Fontana: This employer faces three alleged serious violations and $63,000 in proposed penalties in the wake of a June 2025 fatality. An equipment operator … Read More »

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Workplace Fatality Update – Mar 6, 2026

There have been five new workplace fatalities in California in recent days. In Los Angeles, two employees of 99 Ranch Market lost their lives when a wayward motorist slammed into the market. A customer also lost their life, and at least six other people were injured, two critically. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, … Read More »

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Fatalities Drop, or Did They Really Rise?

The delayed data from the 2024 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries has finally been released. It shows 419 workplace deaths in California, a 5% drop from 439 in 2023. But when you remove the 30 fatalities attributable to “intentional self-harm,” versus the same adjusted figure from 2023, something curious is revealed. The 2024 purely work-related … Read More »

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Workplace Fatality Update – Feb 27, 2026

There are six new California workplace fatalities, three of them in one Sierra Nevada incident that took the lives of six skiers as well. That incident involved Blackbird Mountain Guides, a “mountain adventures” company with locations in Truckee, Mt. Shasta, and Bellingham, Washington. On February 17th, three guides and six members of a backcountry ski … Read More »

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How Much Did Employers Pay in Fatality Settlements?

Cal/OSHA’s Appeals Board approved hundreds of settlements in citation cases during January, including eight involving fatalities. Many of these deaths were preventable, and Cal-OSHA Reporter provides the incident summaries for the lessons learned. Others may be the result of the deceased’s own judgment or actions. Here are the case summaries and results. Developer Kenneth Leon, … Read More »

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Workplace Fatality Update – Feb 13, 2026

There are six new workplace fatalities in California. In Bakersfield, an employee of Salvador Vega Deanda, doing business as Platinum Towing and Recycling, was found crushed by a vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. In San Jose, a shuttle driver for US Foods died from internal injuries sustained after being struck by a vehicle … Read More »

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Employers Cited in Fatality Cases – 2026

Cal/OSHA’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has issued citations in fatality cases initiated in the spring and summer of 2025. One case is in the six-figure penalty range. These incidents were previously reported in Cal-OSHA’s Reporter’s Workplace Fatality Update. Here’s a follow-up on the preliminary outcomes. Ruben’s Pipeline: This Bakersfield-based company faces several serious … Read More »

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Workplace Fatality Update – Jan 23, 2026

There are six new California workplace fatalities, three from struck-by incidents. In Somis, an employee of Wonderful Citrus was operating a tractor near a slope and hauling a trailer. The tractor toppled and landed on the employee, who was declared dead at the scene. The ag employer has an experience modification rating (EMR) of .69 … Read More »

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