Studio Cited for Safety Lapse in Death
Universal Studios has been cited for violations of state safety regulations in connection with an accident that killed an employee in November, a spokeswoman for CAL-OSHA, the state occupational safety agency, said Wednesday.
Thomas Smith, 44, of Venice was killed Nov. 29. He and a co-worker were riding in a bucket suspended from a 13-ton crane when the crane drove over a temporary plywood floor covering a pit in the stage. The plywood collapsed and Smith was hurled 40 feet to his death, authorities said. The other man was slightly injured.
State regulations call for a temporary floor to be as strong as the surrounding floor, said the CAL-OSHA spokeswoman, Judith Singer. Also, she said, neither man wore the required safety belt.
The studio faces a maximum fine of $2,500, she said. The district attorney’s office is conducting a criminal investigation.
No one from Universal Studios was available for comment.
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