Crimes Against Workers Database

Mejia was working on a trench for a retaining wall at a home near the Pacific Coast Highway and Deer Creek Canyon Park when it collapsed on him. An autopsy showed he died from asphyxia by chest compression. The contractor was not licensed.

Juan Baten, a 22-year-old Guatemalan immigrant worker at the factory, died after falling into a mixing machine used to mix tortilla dough. Investigations into the working conditions at the factory in response to the fatality uncovered additional violations. The New York State Workers Compensation Board found that the factory owner had more than five employees […]

Gunpowder manufacturing plant exploded killing two employees and injuring a third. The owner, Craig Sanborn, was not in the state at the time of the incident and did not provide his employees with safety training or safety procedures. They were not wearing protective clothing and no warning signs were posted. Sanborn consistently ran afoul of […]

Paul Thompson was working near an unsleeved, high-voltage power line while painting a Habitat for Humanity building. Thompson was fatally electrocuted.

While working in Harran's lab, when Sangji was attempting to transfer a reagent, the plunger of the syringe became dislodged from the syringe barrel, causing the reagent to be released. The reagent spilled onto her torso and hands and immediately caught fire. The fire was eventually extinguished by another researcher working nearby. The Victim sustained […]

Two construction workers killed in crane collapse. The company's owner, James Lomma, had relied on an unqualified Chinese company called RTR Bearings to make repairs to the crane because RTR offered a low price ($20,000) and quick turnaround. A bid from Avon Bearings in Ohio quoted $120,127 for the same work. Ten months prior to […]

Six construction workers and a tourist were killed when a crane collapsed at the site of a highrise apartment building that was under construction. Two dozen people were injured when an adjacent brownstone flattened. The crane was owned by William Rapetti. He was responsible for supervising the assembly of the crane as sections were added […]

Ortego, an undocumented construction worker, died when the trench he was working in collapsed and caused a wall from a neighboring home to collapse. William Lattarulo, the site owner, had listed a contractor as overseeing the digging of a foundation for a new coin laundry at the lot, but he actually supervised the work himself […]

Margarita Mojica, a pregnant female employee, was crushed and killed while working on a cardboard cutting and folding machine. Employees were not properly trained and there were not Lockout/Tagout procedures in place for turning the machine off before reaching inside of it. The company had been fined twice on previous occassions for neglecting to institute […]