Texas leads U.S. in worker deaths, El Paso employees among those killed on the job
Texas led the nation in workers who died of injuries suffered on the job in 2021, according to figures kept by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Sadly, two of the 533 Texas workers killed in 2021 were on the job in El Paso.
Rick Levy, the president of the Texas AFL-CIO, said Labor Day is an appropriate time to reflect on the dangers many workers in the state face.
"Coming home at the end of the day should be the expectation for every worker," he said.
OSHA investigates nearly all private-sector workplace deaths. Companies have to report deaths to the federal agency within eight hours. The agency has six months to complete its investigation.
OSHA investigators work to hold companies accountable for workplace safety, but in many of the death cases assessed penalties are often reduced in negotiations with companies
Men and Hispanic workers made up a majority of those killed in 2021.
On this Labor Day, the El Paso Times remembers the workers killed on the job.
Editor's note: Below is key data related to worker deaths dating back to 2017. The information was complied through research and the OSHA data base. The information is subject to change as new data is made available, according to the federal agency.
Jose Lomas
Date of incident: July 28, 2022
Company name: Art & Steel, Llc
Location: 9701 Montana Ave, El Paso
Description: Employee Is Killed In Fall From Roof
Investigation summary: At 11 a.m. on July 28, 2022, an employee was on the roof preparing to remove roof R-panels. The roof the employee was standing on gave way and the employee fell through. The employee was killed due to blunt force trauma to the head.
Case status: Open
Carlos "Flaco" Olague
Date of incident: May 2, 2021
Company name: Ad Wrecker Service Inc.
Location: 7465 N. Mesa St., El Paso
Description: Employee Is Killed After Being Run Over By Semi Truck
Investigation summary: On May 2, 2021, an employee was opening up the air bags valve underneath a semi truck when a coworker jumped into truck and moved trailer forward. The employee was run over by the truck tires and sustained fractures of the hip, pelvis, tibia, fibula and femur and was killed.
Case status: Closed
More: Young El Paso developer making early mark with high-end apartment projects on city's edges
Jack Gonzales
Date of incident: Feb. 25, 2021
Company name: Elite Power & Recovery, Inc.
Location: 1000 Southside Road, El Paso
Description: Employee Is Killed By Electrocution While Making Contact With an Energized Powerline
Investigation summary: At 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 25, 2021, an employee was removing a deenergized powerline from an auxiliary arm. The employee had positioned the bucket of the truck he was working from under 13 kilovolt energized power lines. After grabbing the deenergized power line with one hand he used his other hand to move the control of the bucket to move it up. The bucket moved up too quickly and he struck the energized power line with his back across the shoulders. The employee was electrocuted and killed.
Case status: Closed
Marco A. Hoyos Martinez
Date of incident: Nov. 23, 2020
Company name: Rush Truck Centers of Texas, Inc.
Location: 12253 Gateway Blvd. West, El Paso
Description: Employee is killed in fall from ladder
Investigation summary: At 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 23, 2020, an employee was on a 12-foot ladder wiping and cleaning the driver side of a trash collecting truck getting it ready for painting. The employee fell from the ladder and suffered blunt force trauma injuries to his head and neck. The employee died of complications from blunt force injuries to the head and neck.
Case status: Closed
Cesar Gomez
Date of incident: Nov. 21, 2020
Company name: Southwestern Industrial Contractors & Riggers Inc.
Location: 14413 Lago Point Court, El Paso
Description: Employee Dies Of Head Injuries After Falling From Crane
Investigation summary: At 5:48 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2020, Employee #1, employed by a construction company, was the crane operator for a crew installing a swimming pool in a residence's backyard. Employee #1 and coworkers were setting up the crane when Employee #1, for unknown reasons, exited the crane's cab onto the crane's platform. The cab was positioned on the platform, which did not have guardrails. As Employee #1 was getting back into the cab, he fell and struck his head on the pavement. Employee #1 was transported to the hospital, where he was admitted for treatment of head injuries, including a possible fractured skull. He died at the hospital a week later.
Case status: Closed
Francisco Quintana
Date of incident: March 11, 2020
Company name: Sugaright, Llc
Location: 4656 Ripley Drive, El Paso
Description: Employee Falls With Ladder And Dies Days Later
Investigation summary: At 11:30 a.m. on March 11, 2020, Employee # 1 was preparing to change a three-inch stainless steel piping elbow at the top of a large floor mounted tank. He climbed an extension ladder that was leaning against the tank to the 10th rung. He had started climbing back down when the ladders slid out from under him. Both he and the ladder fell to the floor below. He hit his head on the concrete floor and suffered head trauma. He died on March 18, 2020 from his injuries.
Case status: Closed
Lorenzo Armando Rubio
Date of incident: Nov. 13, 2019
Company name: Toro Company
Location: 1440 Don Haskins Drive, El Paso
Description: Employee Is Killed When Pinned Against Rack By Forklift
Investigation summary: At 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2019, an employee was working for a firm that provided warehousing and storage. He was operating a stand up forklift. He was moving material on pallets. He was driving the forklift at too high a speed. He struck the midrail of storage racks that were in back of him. He was pinned between the forklift and the rail of the rack. His upper torso was struck against the midrail by the forklift. He was killed.
Case status: Closed
Jorge Alberto Fernandez
Date of incident: May 30, 2019
Company name: Mount Franklin Foods LLC
Location: 9820 Railroad Drive, El Paso
Description: Forklift Accident Kills Employee
Investigation summary: At 6:45 a.m. on May 30, 2019, an employee was on a powered industrial truck that lifts the employee on a work platform. While in an elevated position, another forklift struck the employee's lift, causing it to fall over and killing the employee.
Case status: Closed
Manuel Alfonso Sevillano
Date of incident: Feb. 24, 2018
Company name: Southwestern Industrial Contractors And Riggers, Inc.
Location: 9301 Billy The Kid St., El Paso
Description: Employee Is Crushed And Killed By Falling Metal Cabinet
Investigation summary: At 3:45 p.m. on Feb. 24, 2018, an employee and a coworker were moving a metal cabinet, measuring 2 feet wide by 7 feet tall by 16 feet long, using two dollies. As they worked to fit the cabinet through a doorway, it fell on top of the employee. The employee suffered severe crushing injuries and was killed.
Case status: Closed
Eduardo Hernandez
Date of incident: Jan. 29, 2018
Company name: Salvador Hernandez
Location: 6100 Rivet Place, El Paso
Description: Employee Falls From Ladder And Is Killed
Investigation summary: At 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 29, 2018, an employee was working for a framing contractor. He was using a nail gun to attach a plywood section on a home under construction. He was working off of a ladder. He was on a Werner 6.1-meter (20-foot) ladder at a height of approximately 3.0 meters (10 feet). He was halfway up when the ladder slid to one side. The employee fell with the ladder to the ground. He exhibited no visible external injuries. He was transported to a hospital, where he died.
Case status: Closed
Aaron Moreno-Escobar
Date of incident: Oct. 3, 2017
Company name: Handgards, Inc.
Location: 901 Hawkins Blvd., El Paso
Description: Employee Is Caught-In Machine And Is Killed
Investigation summary: At 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 3, 2017, an employee was attempting to cut or dislodge product. The employee was caught in the machine and was killed. No other details were provided about the accident or injury.
Case status: Closed
This list was compiled by El Paso Times staffers Trish Long and Eli Wizevich.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Labor Day weekend an appropriate time to remember those killed on job in Texas
