# Expat's worker fataly electrocuted, now Expat must.......



## Hey_Joe (Sep 13, 2016)

American in my area is having apartment bldg. built. Workers were on the roof, one of the workers handling rebar touched the power lines along the street that are very close to the structure and immediately died from electrocution.

American had to pay for the funeral, autopsy, burial. 

I just heard today because no alcohol/drugs were found in the workers body the American was facing a trial but agreed to pay the dead workers wages until the construction is completed. 

The wife of the dead worker is pregnant with 2 children. The American is responsible for the 3 childrens food, medical and schooling expenses until they graduate High School.

Very Amazing. I'll be seeing my Attorney to find out what measures can be taken if a worker accidently dies doing any work for me. 

Has anyone else ever heard of instances like this happening?


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## Ram1957 (Oct 14, 2014)

Seen alot of these types of cases when I was stationed at Clark in the 70's. If someone is working for you and something happens expect to be supporting the family for quite awhile. That's why it's best to hire a contractor and let him be responsible for the workers and get it writing. Had a airman ran over a goat and ended up paying alot of money to get off International Hold so be could return to the US. It's their country so you have to comply with their rules.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Always be worried about your workers if they get hurt you get the bill and no understanding from the Barnagay or law enforcement.

We had a worker that became careless while using the ladder, he's worked here before and not armateur, this guy was set the next day for a 6 month pluming job in Manila but he didn't want to go he a very jealous man for good reason his wife is a big flirt anyway he manged to hurt himself after I'd already warned him to be careful with the ladder, he's never allowed to work at our house again.

If your animal bites a neighbor get ready also, my neighbor was down on his luck and wanted money from me but I didn't give well it was my birthday, ain't I supposed to be the other way around on your Birthday? On this day I provided beer and food but it wasn't good enough he taunted the monkey with a beer bottle and he got bit I had to pay for his shots the works, heard much later that he didn't' spend the money on shots or he was able to get free shots from the clinic.


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## magsasaja (Jan 31, 2014)

If the foreigner employed the worker directly, then he should be liable, as he was the employer and the worker was a employee. If the worker was working for a contractor then it should be a different story, however i would still want to make a contribution to the family, as i know his family is going to struggle in the future.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

We hired a man to take care of our adopted kids back in 2005 and my wife and I were in the US and so he brought his whole family to our home and the in-law kids apparently were in the house also, anyway my daughter and the in-laws daughter and the man's son got into a game of tag and the in-laws daughter didn't' want to get tagged and she pushed him back he fell down the stairs and hurt his back, so over the years his back turned into a hunchback.

Yesterday the man came over asking for money his son now is in the hospital with serious heart and breathing problems. We are going to give money but I am on a modest military pension and I have a big family.


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## Simon1983 (Jun 6, 2016)

Hey_Joe said:


> The American is responsible for the 3 childrens food, medical and schooling expenses until they graduate High School.


I can understand paying medical bills and contributing food to an injured workers family, but paying food, medical and schooling expenses for the kids until they graduate high school - that's a blank cheque!

A few years ago Filipino friend of mine worked in a (Filipino) quarry and his co-worker died on-site. My friend was the one sent to the worker's house, with about a month's pay and that was that.


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

The American pays until the kids finish high school and the local pays a month’s wages as a death benefit.

The difference is that the expat has the money and should be sharing it since the death was his fault for not enforcing the safety rules.

The local businessman doesn’t have the money and cannot be expected to pay for anything that is not his fault. The worker was obviously at fault because he was not following the safety rules

Since the American is obviously so rich, he got off lucky that the kids do not want to go to university then start a business. The local was generous with the month’s wages.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Seems to always come down to the Philippine logic that if we wern't here, it wouldn't have happened so it has to be the foreigners fault. Their sense of justice????

Fred


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

I don't think it is a matter of fault but of who has the money should pay. The more you have the more you will have to pay and since all foreigners are extremely wealthy in local eyes we should pay.

Look at the threads where a expat only witnessed a traffic accident and was “blamed” and expected to have to pay. Blame is only the excuse. The real reason why we should pay is that we have the money. 

We are not members of any of their extended families and associations so we have no power to fight the local statements and even the judges and law enforcement subscribe to the mentality that we are all alone here with a lot of money so we should have to pay because there will be no repercussions from our extended families against anyone making us pay.

The only way around this is to stay as much out of their day today dramas as you can. If you see an accident, move along or you will be expected to pay. If there is a fight next door do not get involved or they will turn on you and you will be expected to pay. Hire companies to do the work, not individuals so you are at arm’s length from the worker should he be injured. Better yet rent not buy so that there is a landlord in between you and everyone else.

Not all think along these lines. In the educated population and in the major cities this attitude is less but still there. In dealing with uneducated rural population it is still pretty much the prevalent attitude. 

And the attitude that if you were not there it would not have happened is not solely a Philippine attitude. In Manitoba we have a public auto insurance scheme. Under it they forgive one accident where you are 50% or more at fault in a period but charge you significantly for the second and any others. Guess what? They routinely find both drivers 50% at fault so they are both charged one accident on their record. A friend was hit while legally stopped at a stop sign and was deemed 50% at fault because had she not been there the accident would not have happened. Six months later was hit by a guy making an unsafe lane change and also was deemed 50% at fault and paid around a thousand dollars in penalty and loss of merit points. In both cases she was innocent and could not have done anything to avoid the accidents except stay home that day.

I also have been on OSHA safety investigation courses where the instructors have taught that every actor in all accidents is somewhat at fault because they were there. One example used was a guy walking in a “safe zone” was hit by a falling object and deemed 10% at fault because even in a safe zone he should have been aware of the threat even though the area was signed as being safe and not requiring PPE.


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## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

Hey_Joe said:


> Workers were on the roof, one of the workers handling rebar touched the power lines along the street that are very close to the structure and immediately died from electrocution.


Holly $7!+! Well, I guess one of the lessons to take away from all of this is to very closely supervise anyone you hire, and to give them some very basic safety instructions at the start of each day. Wow, touching a piece of rebar to a utility line. In my opinion that's right up there with walking right in front of a moving train or sticking your head in a lion's mouth. But whoever said that everyone has common sense over here, and that is why you have carefully supervise people, especially the younger guys. 

One of our male helpers left us about a year ago to go work on a high rise construction project in downtown Cebu. A few weeks later he came back and started hanging around our gate asking to have his old job back. He said that there had been a crane accident at his job site, and that one or two workers had been killed. The owner of the site (apparently a wealthy Chinese) put all of the construction worker on jeepneys, took them up into the hills, and told them to wait their until after the government inspectors were done looking at the site. 

Don't know how true it is, but I heard that the owner of the project gave roughly 10,000 pesos to the families of each of the dead workers, and then project continued. When you look at the numerous fatal bus and jeepney accidents, that actually seems pretty par for the course over here. 

A wealthy businessman running a shady operation experiences one or two deaths on his property, so he throws a few crumbs to the surviving widows, and then continues operations as if nothing happened. However, if a Kano finds himself in a similar predicament, then they are going to be paying to support everyone for the next few generations.


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## greenstreak1946 (May 28, 2017)

well, that liability goes with hiring someone. I have been a contractor here in the states all my life. I had to have workman's comp insurance. sorry to hear it, but he is responsible for the death of the employee.

art


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## Zep (Jun 8, 2017)

Hey_Joe said:


> American in my area is having apartment bldg. built. Workers were on the roof, one of the workers handling rebar touched the power lines along the street that are very close to the structure and immediately died from electrocution.


He might want to hire a lawyer. If he was electrocuted by the lines in the street then the city or electric company might be at fault. Should not be any bare wires on the lines in the street. In the US the electric company is responsible for the lines up to the meter.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Zep said:


> He might want to hire a lawyer. If he was electrocuted by the lines in the street then the city or electric company might be at fault. Should not be any bare wires on the lines in the street. In the US the electric company is responsible for the lines up to the meter.


But in the Philippines nobody is responsible for anything.......unless you are a foriegner


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## Zep (Jun 8, 2017)

I try to buffer myself as much as possible. Vehicles are in other relatives names and I let them hire the workers. Not bullet proof but should help some:fingerscrossed:. I do most of my own work around the house now anyway as you know the saying "if you want it done right, do it yourself".


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