Man falls 30 feet to death

A 56-year-old employee of Rainbow Disposal died from his injuries Sunday after falling 30 feet at the company’s Huntington Beach facility Sept. 9, officials said Tuesday.

Hermelindo Montes Valencia, of Anaheim, was working during the day with two others to replace a skylight, but unhooked his safety harness, the company’s chairman, Ron Shenkman, said.

A few minutes later, the man fell 30 feet through the skylight onto trash equipment, and then onto the concrete floor, he added.

“The Rainbow Disposal family has lost a valuable and longtime employee of the company due to a very tragic accident,” Shenkman said. “We’re dealing with it internally with our employees and feeling pretty terrible about it.”

Shenkman said it was unclear why the employee unhooked his harness; Montes Valencia’s two co-workers did not, and didn’t fall, he said. The Orange County Coroner reported that the death was brought about by the fall.

According to company officials, Montes Valencia was an employee for more than 10 years. Efforts to reach the family were unsuccessful.

Rainbow Disposal, a waste-collection and recycling company that operates in Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach, will be investigating the fall, Shenkman said.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration will also look into the incident.

“It’s ongoing,” Shenkman said of the investigation. “We do know the accident was caused by human error. We know what happened, but we want to make sure we cover every base.”

Funeral arrangements are pending, officials said.

MICHAEL ALEXANDER may be reached at (714) 966-4618 or at [email protected].