Claims Straight off the Vine By Robert Warne - November 12, 2002For all the beauty and romance associated with pastoral vineyards and the winemaking process, there’s still a dark side of workers’ compensation claims fermenting in the background.
Wet slippery floors, conveyor belts and other pieces of heavy equipment make up just a few of dangers that lurk behind every corner in a winery.
Tanks used to make wine have been the source of many deadly claims over the years. Nitrogen that is pumped into tanks to prevent oxygen from contaminating the wine and other chemicals used in the production of vintage vino can overcome a person in seconds.
As recently as Nov. 9, two men were killed in a tank accident at the Silver Sage Winery in British Columbia. The owner of the winery fell into a tank and the winemaker jumped in after him. Both drowned.
Tanks can be dangerous full or empty. Whether the Silver Sage owner suffered asphyxiation and then fell into the tank is still being investigated.
At the Gallo Winery in the early 1950’s two men died when they tried to rescue one man who was cleaning a tank. Carbon dioxide was release from the residue on the bottom of the tank, which immediately overcame the tank cleaner.
Two men entered the tank to save the man but they were overcome as well and died. One drowned face down in the residue on the floor and the other suffered a heart attack. The man cleaning the tank miraculously survived the ordeal.
Since the early days, many safety practices have been implemented to keep a cork on a bottomless bottle of potential claims.
In California alone, the wine industry provides approximately 145,000 full-time jobs. But with around 847 wineries operating in California and winegrapes being grown in 45 of California’s 58 counties, officials are willing to do what it takes to prevent a bunker crop of claims. |