Eighteen-year-old Fernando Jimenez Gonzalez drowned in a vat of sulfuric acid and water on Sept. 22, 2007, at his workplace in San Carlos, Calif. Gonzalez was found headfirst in the solution by his father the following day.
The San Mateo County coroner pronounced Gonzalez’s death an accident, but that was hardly the case. The tragedy
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According to company standards, Gonzalez should not have been working by himself and should have been wearing safety goggles, a respirator and a smock. The guardrail meant to protect employees from falls did not meet regulation height, and there were no protective covers on the vats. The vat that Fernando fell into was only one of 17 that were out of compliance.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal-OSHA) fined Coastal Circuits $1,800 for not having tank guardrails or covers, $500 for not reporting the use of formaldehyde—a known carcinogen—and $1,500 for violations ranging from wet or damp areas in the factory to needing to upgrade the emergency eye wash and shower station. All fines were handed to Coastal Circuits five months after Gonzalez’s death.
Coastal Circuit did not enforce these safety and health standards outlined by Cal-OSHA because their implementation cost would have cut into company profits. “Slap-on-the-hand” fines put low prices on the lives of workers and hardly motivate profit-hungry companies to improve working conditions.
Only a minute portion of the wealth produced by the working class would suffice to keep workers out of harm’s way. Under capitalism, however, profits are put above worker safety no matter what. Until the profit-driven system is overthrown, avoidable workplace accidents will continue.
