San Diego Injury Lawyers Blog

The San Diego area has seen multiple gas line leaks recently. Many homes and businesses have been evacuated because of the dangers involved when a gas line is broken. Construction sites often pose a safety threat due to the various projects going on, equipment being used, and type of work being done. In each of the reports reviewed by San Diego injury lawyers construction workers were associated to the cause of the gas line leakage. Construction workers are not necessarily at fault because gas lines are typically not marked on an exact basis but without the help of the local gas company major problems can arise.

La Mesa residents were evacuated after construction workers hit a natural gas line. They could not return to their homes for an hour. Construction workers had one gas line marked in their plans but during the course of their work they struck a second line that had not been marked. The accident took place before 1pm and crews from San Diego Gas & Electric Co. were able to clamp shut the affected gas line in order to allow the evacuated residents back into their homes by 2 o'clock.

The day before the La Mesa evacuation a natural gas line was broken in the Logan Heights neighborhood and various businesses had to be evacuated. There was no digging involved in this accident. A construction worker reported they accidentally drove their vehicle into the above-ground pipeline that was connected to a building along an alley that is between Imperial Ave. and Commercial Street. This pipeline was also 3/4 inch and the accident took place around 9 a.m. but San Diego Gas & Electric crews were able to shut off the leak a little over an hour later.

A few weeks ago residents in Clairemont were also evacuated. A contractor hired by the city dug too deeply during their road work repairs and hit the natural gas line. The contractors had been trying to remove asphalt from the road on Gros Ventre Avenue. As in the La Mesa accident, the pipe hit was a 3/4 inch service line to a house. This accident took place in the morning and crews from San Diego Gas & Electric were able to get the line clamped before lunch time was over.

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The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and UC San Diego's new global safety center are hoping to make construction workplace standards higher in order to decrease the amount of injuries and occupational hazards to employees, not just within the United States. OSHA is making big changes to its global safety training program beginning in July 2011. They will be terminating the practice of the 10- and 30- hour safety cards internationally with the purpose of "focusing its limited resources on workers" domestically.

This leaves a gap UC San Diego's International Safety Education Institute (ISEI) hopes to fill internationally for safety training in the workplace. Many companies have a legal commitment to ensure their employees have adequate safety training. ISEI's Construction Workplace Safety Training Program recommends four safety elements to international companies:

1. Reduce the rate of injury, illness and death in a workforce that is often unaware of the dangers associated with their jobs.
2. Provide a more positive work environment by demonstrating and promoting management concern for worker safety.
3. Provide a better-prepared local workforce for international organizations with development projects in foreign countries.
4. Promote a positive attitude toward safety on the job and encouraging workers to identify and report safety issues and prevent accidents.

OSHA's new Construction site standards to prevent falls would be an example of training needed internationally. Construction workers need to understand the importance of using restraints, guardrails, ladders, safety nets and scaffolds.

New US San Diego Global Safety Center Recommends Four Mandatory Objectives, PR Newswire, April 21, 2011

OSHA Issues Guidance on Reducing Construction Falls, Safety. BLR, April 20, 2011