TAFT, Calif. (AP) — The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health says Chevron Corp. was not in violation of any workplace safety laws when a 54-year-old employee fell into a sinkhole and died on a company oil field in Kern County.
But the death of Robert David Taylor on June 21 in Taft is still being probed by Chevron and another state agency, the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources.
The Bakersfield Californian reports (http://bit.ly/nhjpr5) that Taylor's family has also filed a lawsuit against a construction company that they say was negligent while doing grading work near the area of the sinkhole.
In its report last month, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health says Taylor fell into a 180 to 190-degree, fluid-filled sinkhole. A coworker tried unsuccessfully to reach Taylor with his arm and a piece of pipe.
Information from: The Bakersfield Californian, www.bakersfield.com
