Company Whose Worker Died Had Good Safety Record

The special effects equipment company whose employee fell 40 feet to his death in Van Nuys on Thursday had a good safety record over the last 10 years, though it is still unclear whether the proper safety precautions were being observed at the time of the fall, officials said Friday.

Safety laws require fall protection measures for work performed 6 feet or more above the ground. Such measures include a 42-inch-high guardrail or a harness with an anchored line to prevent a fall. Dean Fryer, a spokesman with the California Division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, did not know if such fall protection measures were in place at the job site Thursday.

Hollywood Mobile Systems Inc. was cited for safety violations in 1996 but had had no other citations since 1990, Fryer said.

“One investigation with citations going back to 1990--that’s a relatively decent history,” Fryer said. “I pulled one [recently] that had 16 entries in that time frame.”

One of the violations involved a lack of guardrails at elevated locations. The company was fined $650 for all 1996 citations, which were sparked by a complaint, not an accident, according to Cal/OSHA records.

Augustine Ontiveros, 54, of Van Nuys, had been working near the ceiling with two other men inside a sound stage in the 16800 block of Saticoy Street when for undetermined reasons he fell, Fryer said.

“He was with two other workers who had their backs to him. They heard a little noise, turned around and saw him on the floor,” Fryer said.

Ontiveros was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:25 a.m. Thursday.

Cal/OSHA is investigating the incident. The agency plans to examine the company’s training and fall protection efforts and interview other workers, Fryer said, adding that the investigation could take up to six months.

Although Cal/OSHA did not shut down Hollywood Mobile, the company closed down voluntarily “out of respect” Friday, according to an unidentified woman who answered the company’s phone. She refused to give her name.

“[Ontiveros] meant a lot to the people here,” she said. “Everyone’s very emotional.”

The woman said Ontiveros’ family lives in Mexico.