Employer Fined $41,310 for Fatal Bee Attack

Friday, January 5, 2018 | 0

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined an employer $41,310 as a result of a fatal bee attack in 2017.

Gerardo Balbuena, 49, was spraying water on date palm fruit on July 3, 2017, when he was swarmed and repeatedly stung by bees. He suffered anaphylactic shock and died at the worksite in Riverside County.

The agency commonly referred to as Cal-OSHA said Hadley Date Gardens Inc. of Thermal failed to evaluate the worksite for hazardous bee and insect exposure, and failed to establish adequate safety protocols such as training or providing workers with personal protective equipment.

Cal-OSHA said in a statement that its Tree Work Safety guidelines specifically cite bee stings as a potentially fatal hazard employers must recognize.