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✦ 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
Construction is embedded in Canyon Country's identity. The yards along Soledad Canyon Road and Sierra Highway house dozens of contractors -- framing crews, concrete outfits, roofing companies, electrical contractors, and general builders who send workers to job sites across the Santa Clarita Valley and Los Angeles County. Canyon Country's construction workforce includes framers, ironworkers, roofers, laborers, and equipment operators who face fall hazards, struck-by risks, and heavy equipment dangers every day they clock in. When a construction injury ends your ability to work, you need a lawyer who handles construction claims specifically, not a generalist who treats your case like every other workers' comp file.
Falls from height remain the number one cause of death and catastrophic injury in construction. Canyon Country framers working on second-story residential projects fall from scaffolding when guardrails are missing or improperly installed. Roofers slip on pitched surfaces without adequate fall arrest systems. Laborers step through unprotected floor openings. These falls produce spinal fractures, traumatic brain injuries, shattered ankles and wrists, and internal organ damage. Cal/OSHA's fall protection standards under Title 8, Section 1669 require fall protection at elevations above six feet in construction, but many Canyon Country contractors -- particularly small outfits running five to ten-person crews -- treat compliance as optional until someone gets hurt.
Struck-by accidents are the second leading cause of serious construction injuries. Materials dropped from upper floors strike workers below. Backhoes and excavators hit laborers who are working in the equipment's swing radius. Lumber stacks collapse on workers in staging areas. These incidents cause skull fractures, broken ribs, crushed extremities, and fatalities. On Canyon Country job sites where multiple trades are working simultaneously, the risk of struck-by accidents multiplies because coordination between crews is often poor.
Trench collapses during utility and foundation work kill and maim construction workers every year in California. A cubic yard of soil weighs approximately 3,000 pounds. When a trench wall collapses on a worker, the crushing force causes asphyxiation, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic amputations. Cal/OSHA requires shoring, sloping, or trench boxes for excavations deeper than five feet, but enforcement on small Canyon Country job sites is inconsistent.
Electrocution from contact with overhead power lines, exposed wiring, or improperly grounded tools rounds out the OSHA Fatal Four for construction. Canyon Country sites near power corridors along Soledad Canyon Road carry elevated electrocution risk for crane operators and workers handling long materials like metal conduit and rebar.
Construction injuries are compensable under California Labor Code Section 3600 regardless of fault. You do not need to prove your employer violated safety regulations or that a coworker was negligent. If the injury arose out of and in the course of your employment, you are entitled to workers' compensation benefits.
Those benefits include full medical treatment for your injury, temporary disability benefits at two-thirds of your average weekly wage while you cannot work, permanent disability benefits based on your lasting impairment, and a Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit if you cannot return to your usual occupation. For construction workers with physically demanding jobs, permanent disability ratings tend to be higher because the occupational adjustment in the rating schedule accounts for the impact of the injury on your ability to perform manual labor.
Under Labor Code Section 5405, you have one year from the date of injury to file a workers' comp claim. Report the injury to your employer immediately and request a DWR-1 claim form. The insurer has 90 days to accept or deny the claim, during which you are entitled to up to $10,000 in medical treatment.
Canyon Country's construction industry is dominated by small and mid-size contractors. These employers frequently lack formal safety programs, cut corners on fall protection and trenching safety, and may not carry adequate workers' comp coverage. Some operate with misclassified workers, calling employees independent contractors to avoid insurance obligations. Under Labor Code Section 2750.5, construction workers are presumed to be employees unless the employer can demonstrate otherwise. Misclassification does not eliminate your right to workers' comp benefits.
Multi-employer job sites create additional complexity. A Canyon Country framer injured when a roofing crew drops materials on them may have claims against both their own employer's workers' comp policy and potentially a third-party liability claim against the negligent contractor. These dual-track claims require a lawyer who understands both the workers' comp system and the interplay with civil liability.
Employer retaliation is a persistent problem in Canyon Country construction. Workers who report injuries may be excluded from future work assignments, fired outright, or told their injury is not serious enough for a claim. Labor Code Section 132a prohibits this conduct, and Yazdchi Law pursues 132a claims aggressively when employers attempt to punish injured workers.
The firm handles Canyon Country construction injury cases at the Van Nuys WCAB and understands the medical and legal issues specific to construction claims, from spinal fusion surgeries to permanent work restrictions that end a construction career.
Injured at work in Canyon Country? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →Eman Yazdchi is a Board-Certified Workers' Compensation Specialist, a designation held by fewer than 1% of California attorneys. Construction injury claims involve complex medical evidence, potential multi-employer issues, and high-value permanent disability determinations. A board-certified specialist brings the depth of knowledge required to navigate these cases and maximize the outcome for injured construction workers.
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