Socorro Robles Killed in Paramount, CA, Welding Accident
Paramount, CA -- November 4, 2016, Socorro Robles was killed due to an accident in which he suffered a fatal injury while working inside a tank.
Authorities reported that the accident happened at RR Welding Repair, located at 7223 Alondra Boulevard. Robles was an employee of the company, and he was doing welding work inside of a tank reportedly used to transport propane.
As Robles was working, witnesses reported hearing a loud "thud," after which they could not make contact with Robles. Emergency crews were called to the scene, and they found Robles unresponsive inside the tank, significantly wounded.
After some time, emergency crews were able to extract him from the tank, after which they pronounced him dead at the scene. Two rescue workers were taken to a hospital during the rescue effort, apparently due to exhaustion from being in the tank.
It is not clear at this time what happened in the accident or what factors contributed to Robles' death. No additional details are currently available.
Map of the Area
Commentary
I've found very few details concerning this accident, and they don't do a great job of clarifying what happened. All I've learned is there was some sort of loud noise while Mr. Robles was working in the tank, and he somehow suffered a fatal injury. Even the OSHA report just says, "Worker fatally injured while welding inside tank." I think that someone being killed on the job deserves more than just a seven word summary. Here are just a few key questions that need to be answered:
- What exactly was Mr. Robles working on?
- What was the condition of his equipment?
- Was the substance inside the tank (reportedly propane) properly flushed out before work began?
- Were all the proper safety measures taken?
- Did Mr. Robles have the necessary safety equipment for the job?
Without knowing these details, how can you determine what caused the accident? There are work accidents that happen due to unforeseeable coincidences and just plain bad luck, but there are a lot of them that happen because the environment where it happened is dangerous for workers. Some employers cut corners and neglect to adhere to proper safety standards, putting their employees at significant risk.
If a fatal accident happens because of these factors, then that needs to be addressed immediately. OSHA issuing a fine of a few thousand dollars and dropping the issue is hardly enough to correct the behavior. If a business is found to be putting their workers in harm's way, they need to face harsh sanctions so that no one else has to suffer injuries or even death. The first step to doing this is conducting a thorough, independent investigation to determine exactly what caused the accident.
--Grossman Law Offices
[jump]