Tragic accident shows danger of children at work sites
August 8, 2009 by Fred HosierPosted in: Bizarre Accident of the Week, Fatality, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, construction safety
With the difficulty and expense that some parents have trying to find childcare, some companies may allow employees to bring their kids to work. But this case shows the need for strict rules about restricted areas in hazardous jobs.
A 12-year-old boy died and his 8-year-old brother was injured after they got stuck in sand where their father was working in Azle, TX.
Edwin Gomez and his brother had climbed into the bed of a truck that was filled with sand.
They were playing there for a while when workers, who were installing a swimming pool, noticed a host used to pump the sand became jammed.
The workers found the 8-year-old buried up to his waist in the sand. The boy told the workers his brother was buried underneath the sand.
Workers dug the 12-year-old out and called 911.
Edwin was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The 8-year-old suffered a broken leg.
The local sheriff said the father won’t face any charges for bringing his children to a dangerous work site.
Do you have safety rules for children of employees at your company? Let us know in the Comments Box below.
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Tags: 12-year-old buried in sand, bring kids to work, children at work sites
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August 5th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Wow! We are an office/manufacturing enviroment and our insurance carrier informed us two years ago that we could no longer host “bring your daughter/son to work day” due to liability concerns. Wish I could bring mine to work for some free childcare!
August 8th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Free childcare would be nice as i have 3 kids myself, but it would also be nice to bring your kid to work every once in a great while. Just to show them what i do (truck driver).
August 17th, 2009 at 8:59 am
When my company was smaller it was common practice for some children of the employees to walk in to the building, without going through the front office. Our organization has machinery, forklifts, conveyors…..all potential hazards for our trained employees and any visitors. A number of years ago we identified this practice as a concern and put a stop to it. Some of the long-term employees did not like the new rules but we have a much safer environment because of the change. All visitors now have to report to the front desk, sign in, and they are restricted to where they can go.
August 17th, 2009 at 10:11 am
I am the safety manager for my company, it is a tough enough job to keep adults safe on our construction sites, bringing children to construction sites would only put them at risk for injury or
death as in the sad case of kids who where playing in the truck filled with sand. They where playing
in a confined space that presented the risk of engulfment. How would the know that unless some one
taught them. Every construction worker has to have a certain amount of safety training in order to
do there job safely. Construction sites are not play grounds and have a potential for accidents. Children should not be allowed on construction sites unless the area where the work is being performed
is closed off to them and there is no risk of danger for them.