“Eman at Yazdchi Law was extremely professional, responsive, and supportive at all times. He and his staff exceeded all of my expectations.”
Andrea Dalessandro
✦ Board-Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law — State Bar of California ✦
Construction is California’s most dangerous industry. When you’re injured, experience matters.
By Eman Yazdchi, Esq. · Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law
Bakersfield is growing, and the construction industry is driving much of that growth. Residential developments push outward into the northwest and southwest, commercial projects rise along Rosedale Highway and the Highway 99 corridor, and infrastructure work on roads, bridges, and utilities never stops. Kern County's oil industry adds pipeline construction, refinery maintenance, and well-site builds to the mix. All of this means thousands of construction workers face hazardous conditions every day.
Construction consistently ranks among the most dangerous industries in California. When a construction worker in Bakersfield is injured, the legal and insurance landscape is often more complicated than in other industries — multiple employers on a single site, subcontractor layers, and disputes over responsibility. You need a lawyer who understands these complexities.
Attorney Eman Yazdchi of Yazdchi Law P.C. is a Board-Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law and represents Bakersfield construction workers at the Bakersfield WCAB district office.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration identifies the "Fatal Four" hazards in construction: falls, struck-by incidents, electrocutions, and caught-in/between accidents. Bakersfield construction sites produce all of these and more.
Falls from scaffolding, ladders, rooftops, and unprotected floor openings are the leading cause of construction fatalities nationwide. In Bakersfield, the pace of residential construction — particularly in the newer subdivisions on the city's western edge — creates conditions where safety measures get shortchanged. Roofers, framers, and siding installers work at heights daily, and a single fall can cause spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and multiple fractures.
Construction sites are crowded with moving equipment — cranes, excavators, forklifts, and delivery trucks. Workers are struck by falling materials dropped from upper floors, by swinging loads on cranes, and by vehicles backing up without adequate spotters. On oil field construction sites in the Kern County fields, pipe and heavy equipment movement is constant.
Utility and pipeline work in Bakersfield involves trenching in the sandy, unstable soil that characterizes much of Kern County. Trench collapses can bury workers in seconds. Cal/OSHA requires shoring, sloping, or trench boxes for excavations deeper than five feet, but violations remain common.
Bakersfield's summer temperatures regularly exceed 110 degrees. Construction workers performing heavy physical labor in direct sun are at extreme risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Despite California's heat illness prevention standard (Title 8, §3395), enforcement is inconsistent and some contractors treat shade and water breaks as optional.
Contact with overhead power lines during crane operations, exposure to live wiring in renovation projects, and improper use of electrical tools cause severe burns, cardiac arrest, and death on construction sites.
Bakersfield construction projects typically involve a general contractor and multiple subcontractors. When you are injured, the question of who is responsible for your workers' comp benefits can become contentious. Under LC §2750.5, there is a rebuttable presumption that a worker performing services for a contractor is an employee. If your direct employer lacks insurance, the general contractor may be liable for your benefits under LC §2803.
Some Bakersfield construction employers misclassify workers as independent contractors to avoid carrying workers' compensation insurance. If you are injured and your employer claims you are not an employee, do not accept that answer. California law looks at the actual working relationship, not just what a contract says.
If someone other than your employer caused or contributed to your injury — such as a negligent equipment manufacturer or another subcontractor — you may have a third-party personal injury claim in addition to your workers' comp case. Third-party claims are not subject to the workers' comp limitations on damages and can include pain and suffering compensation.
Construction injury claims are among the most complex in workers' compensation law. Identifying all responsible parties, navigating subcontractor insurance disputes, and pursuing third-party claims alongside your workers' comp case requires specialized knowledge. Eman Yazdchi's board certification reflects exactly that kind of expertise.
We know the Bakersfield WCAB, we know the defense attorneys and insurance adjusters who handle Kern County construction claims, and we know how to build cases that maximize our clients' recoveries.
Injured at work in Bakersfield? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →If you were injured on a construction site in Bakersfield or anywhere in Kern County, call Yazdchi Law P.C. for a free consultation. We will evaluate your case, identify all potential sources of recovery, and explain your options clearly. There is no cost to speak with us, and no fee unless we win your case.
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