The Department of Labor and Industries fined Yakima-based fruit grower Borton and Sons $290,000 for multiple violations after two workers died in tractor rollovers this summer.
One worker died on May 7 and another died on June 8 after their tractors rolled over. Neither tractor had its roll-over protection structure up and the drivers were not wearing their seatbelts, according to a news release. L&I cited Borton and Sons for five serious violations and said the company should have known the requirements.
Borton and Sons could not be reached for comment as of press time, but is appealing the fine, the L&I news release said.
On May 7, Gilberto Padilla, a Borton and Sons employee, was driving a tractor when the front counterweights fell off, according to the release. When the driver drove over the weights, the tractor rolled over.
The roll-over protection structure is a cab or frame on top of the structure that prevents the driver from being crushed.
On June 8, Borton and Sons employee Oscar Rodriguez-Olivera was towing a sprayer through an orchard and driving down a slope. According to the release, the tractor made a sharp left turn and rolled over without a protection structure.
The fine for the May 7 incident is $120,000 for the lack of a rollover protection system and because the employer did not ensure the worker was wearing a seatbelt. The fine for the June 8 incident was $170,000 due to the same two violations and because equipment at the scene of the accident was allegedly moved, according to L&I.
(1) comment
Two lives lost. Two farmworkers, the men and women who work in the fields and who feed us. Preventable deaths if the employer safeguarded them. Tragic, preventable deaths.
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