legal developments Safety insight: Let your crew members know that if they blatantly disregard your organization’s safety policies and procedures and they suffer a fatal injury, their surviving family members won’t be able to successfully sue for negligence. What happened: A staff member was trained to use safety equipment before he entered confined spaces. He was also told to obtain an entry permit before going into certain hazardous areas, which were identified to him. The employer had documents to prove that the staffer had been trained in confined space safety. What people did: Despite the training, the worker entered a confined space without obtaining an entry permit. He also failed to ensure that an auger had been locked out before he went into the danger zone. While the employee was in the confined space, he was fatally engulfed by the material stored in the space. Legal challenge: The victim’s family sued the man’s former employer, seeking damages beyond workers’ comp. Result: The company won. The family failed to prove that the company’s gross negligence caused the fatal incident. The judge said the victim entered the confined space without first following mandatory safety procedures, such as putting on safety gear and locking out the auger, so the organization couldn’t be held grossly negligent for the man’s death. The family was entitled to only workers’ comp payments. The skinny: Employers that can provide evidence that workers have been trained to follow safety policies and procedures are usually in a good position to beat back lawsuits filed by the families of individuals who’ve died on the job. Cite: Fernandez v. Heartland Co-op Corp., Court of Appeals of Texas, No. 07-24-00362- CV, 1/6/26. horror stories Summary An experienced animal trainer was mauled to death by a tiger in front of a crowd watching his show. Among the people in the audience were his wife and daughter. The incident When Ryan Easley stepped into the ring to perform a tiger show in front of a crowd at the Growler Pines Tiger Preserve in Hugo, OK, he wasn’t too concerned about his own safety. After all, Easley had watched his father work as a zookeeper for most of his life. And Easley had been a certified tiger trainer for more than 16 years. Easley wanted the performance to be especially good because his wife, Elaine, and his daughter, Lilly, were in the crowd watching the show. Toward the end of the performance, however, Easley made a sudden move that surprised the tiger. The threatened animal reacted to the move by biting Easley in the neck and shoulder. The tiger grabbed Easley’s neck in its teeth, lifted the tiger trainer off the ground, tossed him around in the air, then threw him down. The response As blood spilled from Easley’s neck, his wife raced into the ring and moved the tiger to a different cage. By the time responders arrived, Easley was already dead from his severe blunt force and crushing injuries. The aftermath Easley, 37, was the owner of Growler Pines Tiger Preserve. He’d purchased most of the tigers in the preserve from Joseph Maldonado, a tiger trainer featured in the Netflix series “Tiger King,” and who’s serving a 21-year jail sentence for selling and killing tigers. “Ryan touched our hearts with his passion for animals, conservation work and the way he spoke about his family,” wrote one friend. “He was a unique soul who touched the lives of many. His work will live on in all those he met.” February 9, 2026 Safety Alert for Supervisors 3 You make the call: The decision (See case on page 1) No. The company lost. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration Review Commission upheld the citation. The commission said the employer couldn’t pass the buck to the two crew members who weren’t wearing safety equipment. Reason: There was a supervisor on-site who should’ve been aware of the regulatory violation. It wasn’t acceptable to claim that the supervisor was handling other tasks at the time the men were working without fall protection. The supervisor had a duty to identify the violation and make sure his people complied with all safety requirements. What it means: Regularly walk through worksites Remember that you have to be hypervigilant about ensuring your crew members follow safety rules during potentially hazardous job duties. In this case, the employer trusted that the crew members would wear the safety gear, but failed to confirm that the rules were actually being followed. As a result, the organization was on the hook for the violation. Do this: Regularly walk all worksites to make sure employees are doing what they’re supposed to be doing. If you see someone violating a safety rule, don’t hesitate to discipline the individual according to your employer’s policies. Based on Secretary of Labor v. Enwright Roofing LLC. Man skipped safety protocols, then entered confined space With wife, daughter watching, man mauled to death by tiger