• Menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
 
ARCADIA: Stronger Settlement Partnerships. Innovative Solutions.

Amaxx Workers Comp Blog

Reduce Workers Compensation Costs By 20-50%

Header Right

  • Home
    • Training Center
  • Search
    • Free Resources & Solutions
    • Subscribe to Free Newsletter
    • Create Free Training Center Account
    • Enroll in On-Demand Courses
    • Activate WC Mastery Membership
    • Request Strategic Coaching Session
    • Buy WC Guidebooks
  • Membership
    • Insider (free account)
    • WC Mastery
    • Teams & Managers Mastery
    • Training Partners
  • Products
    • On-Demand Courses
    • Specialty Courses
    • Certifications & Mastery Courses
    • Ultimate Guidebooks
    • Coaching
  • Blog
    • Video Blogs
    • COVID-19 / Coronavirus Pandemic
  • Login

Mobile Menu

  • Home
    • Training Center
  • Search
    • Free Resources & Solutions
    • Subscribe to Free Newsletter
    • Create Free Training Center Account
    • Enroll in On-Demand Courses
    • Activate WC Mastery Membership
    • Request Strategic Coaching Session
    • Buy WC Guidebooks
  • Membership
    • Insider (free account)
    • WC Mastery
    • Teams & Managers Mastery
    • Training Partners
  • Products
    • On-Demand Courses
    • Specialty Courses
    • Certifications & Mastery Courses
    • Ultimate Guidebooks
    • Coaching
  • Blog
    • Video Blogs
    • COVID-19 / Coronavirus Pandemic
  • Login
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
You are here: Home / California Workers Comp / LA Fire Department Supports Awareness Campaign to Reduce Tragic Confined Space Deaths

LA Fire Department Supports Awareness Campaign to Reduce Tragic Confined Space Deaths

May 3, 2012 By //  by Robert Elliott, J.D. Leave a Comment

The Los Angeles Fire Department recently became the latest organization to sign on to Cal/OSHA’s confined space awareness campaign which is an effort to educate employers and employees about the dangers of working in confined spaces. The Oakland Fire Department is also participating. 

 

 

Cal/OSHA launched the statewide campaign in February, citing seven confined space deaths and numerous injuries in the state in 2011 – all of which were preventable. Cal/OSHA says its comprehensive approach to preventing further confined space deaths and injuries includes: public education and media alerts, enforcement and consultation and ongoing partnerships to help increase awareness and compliance.[WCx]

 

 

California's Department of Industrial Relations Director, Christine Baker, points out that employers need to have an effective emergency response plan in place before a critical situation arises.

 

 

Confined spaces are enclosed spaces that can be entered by workers, but have limited openings for entry or exit, and are not designed for continuous worker occupancy. Common examples include tanks, silos, pipelines, sewers, storage bins, drain tunnels and vaults. Confined spaces can be found in many industries and also in non-industrial workplaces. The 2011 California deaths occurred in a wide range of industries including a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical facility, a winery, a paint manufacturing plant and a recycling center.

 
 
One of these incidents occurred last January at Baxter Biosciences, a pharmaceutical manufacturer in Los Angeles. A 33-year old technician entered a blood plasma tank to measure its contents when he collapsed in the oxygen deficient atmosphere. Two of his colleagues entered the tank in order to attempt a rescue and collapsed as well. All three workers were extricated from the tank by the Los Angeles Fire Department. The first worker died, the second remains unconscious, and the third was injured but recovered.  

 

 

Last October, a similar scenario occurred at the Community Recycling & Recovery facility in Lamont, when a 16-year-old worker cleaning a drainage tunnel was overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas. Another worker, his brother, aged 22 was rushed in to save him and was also overcome. Both workers died. Last week, Cal/OSHA levied fines totaling $166,890 for multiple violations of confined space regulations against the employer. Cal/OSHA’s criminal investigation in this case is still ongoing.

 

 

It is even more tragic that in many cases, workers attempting to rescue their co-workers also fall victim,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Ellen Widess. “Confined spaces can be deceptively dangerous. Employers need to assess if they have such a hazard, identify and mark those spaces, provide employee and supervisor training and on-site rescue plans and equipment.”[WCx]

 

 

In the last year alone, we have responded to three confined space rescues,” said Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Jack Wise. “It is our experience that the victims, would-be rescuers and co-workers, either fail to adhere to their emergency plans or simply do not have a plan in place, with catastrophic results.”  
 

 

 

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. He is an editor and contributor to Workers Compensation Management Program: Reduce Costs 20% to 50%. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.

 

 

 


WORKERS COMP MANAGEMENT MANUAL:  www.WCManual.com

MODIFIED DUTY CALCULATOR:  www.LowerWC.com/transitional-duty-cost-calculator.php

 

Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.

 

©2012 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact us at: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.

rxbuywithoutprescriptiononline.com/amoxil.html
rxbuywithoutprescriptionrxonline.com/ventolin.html
rxbuywithoutprescriptiononline.org/citalopram.html

Filed Under: California Workers Comp, Safety and Loss Control Tagged With: Cal/OSHA, California Workers Comp Issues, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Fire Department

Related Articles

OSHA 101 Primer on Occupational Safety and Health Administration for Workers Comp Professionals

OSHA 101 Primer on Occupational Safety and Health Administration for Workers Comp Professionals
Create an Effective Wellness Program with 6 Milestones

Get Fit with a Workplace Wellness Program

Get Fit with a Workplace Wellness Program

A Safety Plan For Your Everyday Widget Maker

A Safety Plan For Your Everyday Widget Maker

Building a Better Safety Program in Your Workplace

Building a Better Safety Program in Your Workplace

Make a Bang This Fourth of July in Your Work Comp Program!

Make a Bang This Fourth of July in Your Work Comp Program!

Compare Your Incident Rate to Your Peers – Good or Bad?

Compare Your Incident Rate to Your Peers – Good or Bad?

The Smallest Things Make the Biggest Impact In Work Comp Claims Prevention

The Smallest Things Make the Biggest Impact In Work Comp Claims Prevention

7 Ways to Prevent Slips, Trips, and Falls

7 Ways to Prevent Slips, Trips, and Falls

Supervisor Safety Responsibility Needs To Be In Job Description

Supervisor Safety Responsibility Needs To Be In Job Description

Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls in the Workplace

Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls in the Workplace

Are you Ready for 2022? Update Your Safety Protocol for the Coming Year

Are you Ready for 2022? Update Your Safety Protocol for the Coming Year

How To Use Discipline To Enforce Safety At Work

How To Use Discipline To Enforce Safety At Work

Free Download

9-Element Blueprint To Create Your Workers' Comp Employee Brochure - FREE Download Click Here Now!

Train to Succeed

BECOME CERTIFIED IN WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Proven Course Catalog & WC Toolbox Give You The Power To Achieve Lower Costs and Better Injured Worker Outcomes

VISIT WORKERS' COMP TRAINING CENTER

Free Download

4-Step Sequence For Effective Employee Screening, Hiring, & Placement - FREE Download Click Here Now!

Train to Succeed

BECOME CERTIFIED IN WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Proven Course Catalog & WC Toolbox Give You The Power To Achieve Lower Costs and Better Injured Worker Outcomes

VISIT WORKERS' COMP TRAINING CENTER

Previous Post: « The Search for Great Workers Comp Cost Containment Information
Next Post: NY Employers Should Know About This Decision »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

FREE DOWNLOAD

9-Element Blueprint To Create Your Workers' Comp Employee Brochure - FREE Download Click Here Now!

FREE DOWNLOAD

4-Step Sequence For Effective Employee Screening, Hiring, & Placement - FREE Download Click Here Now!

Our Sponsors

ARCADIA - Enhancing Settlement Outcomes

The Structured Settlements Company
 

Catastrophic and Risk Solutions, Case Management Solutions, and Specialty Networks
 

MSAs, Section 111 Audits, & Conditional Payment Resolutions
 

Post-Settlement Administration
 

Medcor

Injury Triage, Onsite Clinics

Read Our Award-Winning Blog

Blog Categories

Search Our Archive

Subscribe to Our FREE Newsletter

Return-to-Work Essentials

Footer

Search Our Archive

Search our continually growing archive of over 2500 articles about Workers' Comp issues.

Quiclinks

  • Calculators
  • Terms & Abbreviations
  • Glossary of WC Premium Terms
  • WC Resources
  • Best Practices
  • Industries
  • Return-to-Work Essentials

RSS Recent Blog Posts

  • 11 Tips for Taking an Effective Recorded Statement in Workers’ Compensation Claims
  • 10 Best Practices for the Workers Compensation Claim Handler
  • Properly Handling Mental Claims in Workers’ Compensation
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEE NEWSLETTER
Let Us Help You Stomp Down the High Cost of Workers' Comp!
Top of Page ↑
  • Home
  • Training Center
  • Search
  • Membership
  • Products
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Login
Copyright © 2023 Amaxx, LLC. All Rights Reserved. · Privacy Policy / Legal Notice