Earlier this week, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office filed a felony complaint against Segundo Collazos, the owner of Amazon’s Landscaping Company based out of Concord.
The charges relate to the 2018 death of Manual Peralta, then 68, of Antioch, who died while operating a rented tree stump grinder in San Ramon. At the time of the incident, defendant Segundo Collazos had a suspended license with the Contractors State License Board, according to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office.
The first felony alleges that defendant Collazos permitted the victim Manuel Peralta to use a stump grinder in a manner contrary to manufacturer recommendations and to work in the danger zone of the cutting wheel, resulting in his death. The second felony alleges that Collazos failed to properly train Peralta on the proper and safe use of the stump grinder, also resulting in his death.
“When a Cal/OSHA investigation reveals evidence a worker’s serious injury or death involves criminal misconduct, our Bureau of Investigations Unit refers those cases to the local District Attorney’s Office for prosecution,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Doug Parker. “We thank the Contra Costa County District Attorney for their work on this case. Employers must be made aware that disregarding the requirement to train and supervise workers using dangerous equipment can lead to tragedy and possible jail time.”
This is why I wish more employees would speak up to these low life bosses, if you don’t feel safe then don’t do it!, plain and simple, who cares what people might think of you or what name they might call you, at least at the end of the day you live to go home to your family, that’s all that matters, My condolences go out to the family, may he rest in paradise
Gone is training. Gone are apprenticeship programs. Some of today’s workers are very good but many are not. The basics are down but there’s always a trace of lack of care traded for speed.
I think 68 is a little old to be grinding stumps!
Without facts….. the quantum leapers are running amok today.
Worked for what amounted to a day labor contractor to a large refinery in 1974.
One of the jobs was tank cleaning. Minimal personal protective equipment and during work forearms got coated with petroleum residue. Asked reinery company salaried foreman if there was any soap and he pointed me towards a 55 gallon drum of small white granular material. During washing process arms got warm then began to get painful. After 20 minutes of rinsing, looked at drum label, was Caustic Soda in a concentration much stronger than drain cleaner.
He didn’t say use only a tiny amount and I was a naive college kid, who’d never worked an industrial environment.
Over that summer saw what happened to non union co workers who spoke up for themselves and complained about unsafe conditions, during morning selection call out they were not picked and eventually stopped showing up.
Implied message was loud n clear, you complain about anything you don’t work.
These type of conditions still exist when you have a labor pool of LOW to NO Skill workers, many not proficient in English that are exploited by some employers.
There are workers who don’t pause to consider what could go wrong with what I’m about to do and those who blindly trust those employing or supervising them.
The OSHA report is at https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=1308243.015
It was not a pleasant death. May Manual Peralta rest in peace.
I’m wondering why it took the DA’s office nearly three full years to file charges. According to OSHA, Segundo Collazos, the owner of the landscaping company, was operating the stump grinder at the time with the victim helping.
The accident was on 04/09/2018. OSHA assessed $54,000 of penalties on 10/04/2018 and the landscape company contested the penalties on 10/31/2018. The cases is still pending.