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Myretta & Thomas Knorr
✦ 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 in Santa Clarita means more than residential subdivisions and commercial developments. The SCV is home to a thriving entertainment industry, and set construction is one of the most hazardous segments of production work. Carpenters, painters, welders, and laborers build and strike elaborate sets on soundstages and backlots across Valencia and Newhall, often under extreme time pressure and without the safety infrastructure required on conventional construction sites. Combined with the residential and commercial building boom across Canyon Country, Saugus, and the broader SCV, construction injuries are among the most common and most serious workplace injuries in Santa Clarita.
Traditional construction in the SCV is driven by residential development in Canyon Country and the expanding commercial corridors along Valencia Boulevard and Bouquet Canyon Road. Workers on these sites face the standard hazards of the construction industry: falls from scaffolding and ladders, struck-by injuries from falling materials, electrocution from contact with power lines, and caught-between injuries from heavy equipment. These four categories, known as the OSHA Fatal Four, account for the majority of construction fatalities nationwide.
Set construction on Santa Clarita's film productions carries all of these same risks plus additional hazards that are unique to the entertainment industry. Sets are built to look real but are not engineered to the same structural standards as permanent buildings. Load-bearing walls may be facades. Elevated platforms may lack standard fall protection. Power tools are used in confined spaces alongside electrical cables, lighting equipment, and flammable materials. When a set needs to be modified or struck between shooting days, the work happens on compressed timelines that increase the risk of injury. Workers who suffer falls, crush injuries, or lacerations on set construction projects have the same right to workers' comp benefits as any construction worker on a conventional job site.
Backlot construction is another significant hazard. Santa Clarita's production facilities include outdoor backlot areas where permanent and semi-permanent structures are built, modified, and maintained. These sites combine the risks of construction work with the unpredictability of a working production environment, where vehicles, equipment, and personnel are moving through the area during construction activities.
California Labor Code Section 3700 requires all employers, including production companies that hire set construction crews, to carry workers' compensation insurance. When a construction worker is injured, the claim process begins with reporting the injury and filing a DWR-1 claim form. The insurance carrier then has 90 days under Labor Code Section 5402 to accept or deny the claim.
Construction injuries often result in significant permanent disability because they tend to involve the musculoskeletal system. A fall from scaffolding that fractures a lumbar vertebra, a struck-by injury that tears a rotator cuff, or a crush injury that damages a hand or wrist can end a construction career. The permanent disability rating for these injuries accounts for the worker's diminished future earning capacity, and for construction workers whose skills are physical in nature, that diminishment is substantial.
In cases involving serious injury or death, Cal/OSHA typically investigates the worksite. The results of that investigation can be valuable evidence in your workers' comp case because they may establish that the employer violated specific safety regulations. While workers' comp is a no-fault system and you do not need to prove employer negligence, Cal/OSHA findings can support claims for Serious and Willful Misconduct penalties under Labor Code Section 4553, which can increase your benefits by up to 50%.
Construction injury cases in Santa Clarita frequently involve multi-employer worksites. On a film set, the set construction crew might be employed by a construction company, a labor staffing agency, or the production company itself. On conventional construction sites, general contractors and subcontractors share the worksite. When an injury occurs, determining which employer's insurance is responsible is the first legal challenge.
Yazdchi Law investigates the employment relationships on the specific job site where your injury occurred. For set construction workers, this means identifying whether you were employed by the production company, a payroll service, a union signatory contractor, or a staffing agency. Each arrangement carries different insurance coverage, and the firm ensures the correct carrier is held responsible.
For construction workers with serious injuries that may prevent a return to construction work, the firm pursues all available benefits, including supplemental job displacement benefits under Labor Code Section 4658.7. These benefits provide a voucher of up to $6,000 for education and retraining, which can help a construction worker transition to a new career when their injuries make physical labor impossible.
Attorney Eman Yazdchi's office in Palmdale is a direct drive from Santa Clarita's construction zones via the 14 Freeway. The firm provides free initial consultations and handles all cases on contingency, so there is no financial barrier to getting experienced legal representation.
Injured at work in Santa Clarita? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →Construction injuries are high-stakes cases that require an attorney who handles workers' compensation exclusively. Attorney Eman Yazdchi is one of fewer than 1% of California attorneys who hold Board Certification in Workers' Compensation from the State Bar. For construction workers in Santa Clarita, whether on a conventional building site or a film production set, this certification means your attorney has the specialized knowledge to handle complex multi-employer disputes, challenge inadequate disability ratings, and negotiate settlements that account for the full impact of your injury on your working life.
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