The Walt Disney Company is the biggest employer in Orange County, employing about 28,000 people. Disney employs about 3,000 more people in 2022 than the University of California, Irvine, which, with 25,512 workers, is the second-largest employer in Orange County.
In fact, Disneyland, California Adventure, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel, and Downtown Disney are almost back to their pre-pandemic number of 32,000 cast members.
The community and cast members alike like Disneyland and its associated activities, yet there are several dangers of illness and injury for individuals who work in the themed-entertainment and hospitality sectors. The workers’ compensation lawyers at PLBH can help if you have been injured while working at Disney. Contact us now at (800) 435-7542 to learn more.
Disneyland park staff workers’ compensation
The long hours, exposure to the environment, odd working circumstances, and risks unique to the entertainment industry are all challenges faced by cast members who work in one of Disney’s theme parks. It is true that theme park employees experience significantly higher rates of injuries, illnesses, and fatalities than many other workers in other industries, even though Disneyland has a much better safety record than many other amusement parks.
Due to mechanical risks, lockout/tagout, safe ride operation, hazard awareness and reporting, and lockout/tagout, cast members who operate rides may encounter extremely risky situations. Tragically, ride carriages, cars, and safety arms have struck, ran over, and/or dragged theme park employees, resulting in serious injuries and even fatalities. When attempting to board moving rides, workers have additionally suffered significant injuries.
Performing stunts during shows, walking long distances for parades, and donning full body costumes in blistering heat all contribute to work-related illnesses and injuries at Disneyland.
Workers’ compensation – Disney food service and hospitality`
The most common reason for workers’ compensation claims in the food service sector are cuts, punctures, scrapes, and other lacerations. These are followed by slips and falls, then burns and scalds. Additionally, thousands of restaurant and food service workers are employed by Disney parks, hotels, and resorts.
Lifting, pushing, bending, squatting, and other repetitive activities can result in strains, sprains, back injuries, and joint ailments among housekeeping and cleaning personnel. In the hospitality sector, slips and falls on damp or uneven surfaces are also very typical.
History of workers’ compensation deaths at Disneyland
In its 67-year history of operation, Disneyland has had a number of serious workplace accidents, deaths, and innumerable other less severe injuries. In America Sings during intermission in 1974, a cast member was crushed between a rotating wall and a stationary platform and died as a result. And in 1998, as the Sailing Ship Columbia reached the dock, a member of the cast was killed when they were struck by a sizable piece of metal attached to the hull.
A stage technician died in 2003 after falling 60 feet to his death from a catwalk in the Hyperion Theater at Disneyland, which resulted in another fatal tragedy. Following their examination into that fatal incident, Cal/OSHA penalized the Walt Disney Company for safety infractions. And unfortunately August 2019 while working in a trench, a steel plate fell on a Disney construction worker, killing them.
Disneyland employee compensation
Disney cast members who are hurt, killed, or fall ill as a result of a work-related incident are covered by workers’ compensation laws of California and the US, just like any other employee in Orange County.
Cast members at Disneyland who have a work-related accident, injury, or illness are legally entitled to full medical attention, payments for a short-term income whilst unable to work, compensation for permanent disability if the damage completely precludes one from returning to work, and payments made to a spouse, children, or other dependents as a death benefit.
A Disney cast member, or any other employee in Orange County, is eligible for workers compensation benefits regardless of who was at fault. Cast members are still entitled to workers compensation payments even if they made a mistake or were careless while performing, running a ride or piece of equipment, working in the food service industry, or providing janitorial or housekeeping services.
Contact PLBH at (800) 435-7542 for a free legal consultation if you have been injured as a result of an accident while working at Disneyland.