Workers' compensation is available to those employees who are injured on the job. In that vein, Wisconsin residents may be interested to hear of a tragic industrial accident that took place in California recently. The workplace accident has unfortunately left two people dead, but it may serve as an example of the importance of workers' compensation.

Tragedy struck on October 12 when three employees were cleaning out a drainage tunnel at a recycling plant owned by Community Recycling and Resource Co. Reportedly, the drainage tunnel was filled with a dangerous gas known as hydrogen sulfide. The gas is a deadly side effect of the composting process, and it attacks the central nervous system.

According to a local news report, a 16-year-old boy working under false documents had entered the tunnel to clean it. He was overcome by the fumes, and his 22-year-old brother went in to rescue him. Unfortunately, he was quickly overcome as well. A third worker was also affected by the fumes despite not entering the tunnel, although his injuries were less severe, as he was treated and released.

It appears that the 16-year-old died at the scene of the accident. The 22-year-old was taken to an area hospital, but he was left brain-dead from the incident. His family was forced to make the unfortunate decision to terminate the life support equipment.

Fatal accidents such as these are the reason why workers' compensation exists. In many industries, employees are regularly put in a line of work that exposes them to potentially horrific workplace accidents. Employers are responsible for the safety of their workers. This may include safety equipment or even safety classes to review what to do in potentially dangerous environments.

Source: The Bakersfield Californian, "Second worker in industrial accident dies," Oct. 15, 2011