Industrial Accident Lawyer Blog

Mississippi's Howard Industries, Inc., in Ellisville, Mississippi was recently cited by OSHA for 17 safety violations following the electrocution death of Benjamin Edwards Spoon while testing transformers. According to the OSHA citation, Spoon's employer failed to have an adequate lock out-tag out procedure, failed to conduct PPE hazard assessments, and failed to provide insulated gloves.

In this situation, the power company Spoon's employer was hired by could have some liability for using a contractor with known unsafe work practices and/or failing to adequately monitor the work. The Flynn Law Firm has represented injured workers in Mississippi, last year concluding two cases against International Paper for a boiler explosion at the Vicksburg mill. The Flynn Law Firm currently represents an injured lineman in a case pending in Smith County, Mississippi.

Shawn Allen Austin was killed in a flash fire at the John W. McDougall Metals Plant in Nashville, Tennessee. The John W. McDougall plant fabricates custom sheet metal. Because there was a workplace death, OSHA will be investigating the incident. Immediately after the flash fire, Mr. Austin was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he ultimately succumbed to his burn injuries. Another worker, Saul Hernandez, suffered a work injury in the flash fire, and was treated and released.

Three workers have been killed, and at least one worker was injured, when a chemical plant owned by Al Solutions Inc. exploded in New Cumberland, West Virginia exploded. One direct employee of Al Solutions, Inc. was badly burned, and ultimately died from his burn injuries. A contractor on the site also suffered burns.

Al Solutions in New Cumberland West Virginia develops additives for the aluminum industry. The workers were working with titanium powder, used as an alloy additive. The powder is packed into bricks and is highly flammable.

Continue reading "Workers Killed in December 9, 2010 Al Solutions Chemical Plant Explosion" »

Electrocution work injuries are some of the most common, deadly types of on the job injuries , and often lead to workers' compensation claims and disabling conditions. Recently, Roger Thompson (from Brooksville, Florida), was electrocuted and killed while working as an electrician at the South Carolina State Fair. South Carolina OSHA is investigating the circumstances surrounding this worker death.

In 2008, another fair worker was killed when he was crushed by a counterweight. In that incident, the decedent's employer was cited for failure to furnish a safe workplace. It appears that while the rides may be safe for those attending the fair, the workers assembling the rides or working at the fair are in a dangerous workplace.

Kylan Warren, age 25, a Georgia power lineman, succumbed to burn injuries sustained in July after a crew he was working with accidentally drilled into a subsurface gas line while placing utility poles. He suffered burns to 80 percent of his body and was in the Grady burn unit for one month prior to his death.

Workplace safety is a team effort, and involves more than just the efforts of an employer. Contractors, sub-contractors, and utility companies each play a role in maintaining a safe working environment. A sub-surface utility line, such as the one Mr. Warren was working near, should be adequately marked. Not only should the utility accurately mark the sub-surface line, but a representative from the utility (in this case Atlanta Gas Light) should be present at the morning tailgate meeting to ensure the lineman and contractors know where the sub-surface gas line is located and know how to avoid it. The OSHA investigation should reveal AGL's role in Mr. Warren's death and provide guidance on how incidents like his can be avoided in the future.

A Georgia Power lineman was severely burned in a Georgia work accident while installing a utility pole in Milton, Georgia. Authorities say 25-year-old Kylan Warren of Acworth was caught in the explosion, and has suffered 80% burns to his entire body. Apparently, a device used to drill the hole for the utility pole struck the gas line, causing the explosion.

Prior to placing utility poles, the gas company is called out to the site to mark the location of the lines, so that when the lineman goes to the jobsite (where he probablly uses a digger derrick such as the one pictured below), he knows where to dig and where not to dig. A lineman is not expected to do anything other than rely on the marks placed by the gas company when setting up his digger derrick and placing the utility pole.

Continue reading "Georgia Power Lineman Burned In Gas Explosion" »

An explosion and fire at the U.S. Steel Plant in Clairton, Pennsylvania has caused numerous burn injuries, according to recent news reports. It appears one of the coke ovens at the Clairton plant exploded. These ovens heat coal at very high temperatures to carbonize it and turn it into fuel used for steel production (called "coke").

This explosion will undoubtedly lead to the need to hire an experienced workers compensation lawyer and also require a cause and origin analysis to determine what caused the explosion and whether it could have been prevented. Often, contractors and other third parties are involved in the cleaning and maintenance coke ovens used for steel production, and those entities could provide a viable avenue for injured workers to file a work injury lawsuit.

Work injuries occur with some frequency at sea. While working on an offshore rig can be dangerous, proper workplace safety mechanisms and procedures can help reduce the frequency of work injury or death.

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon exploded, taking the lives of 11 workers and injuring scores more. The explosion was preventable, was preventable had either Transocean or BP used a blowout preventer----a mandatory safety device which is common. At the time of the explosion, the Deepwater Horizon was two days away from capping the oil well and handing off the pumping responsibilities to a production platform. During the disconnection process, the rig suffered a blowout. The rig's blowout preventer---a 450 ton series of valves developed to prevent a gusher if drilling mud controll is overwhelmed---failed, allowing oil to escape into the Gulf of Mexico.

Continue reading "Deepwater Horizon: Transocean Rig Explodes, Workers Die." »

After repeated injuries, which undoubtedly required Georgia worker's compensation attorneys, including amputations, Crespac, an Atlanta area manufacturer, has been cited for willful violations of OSHA standards for failing to ensure that machines were equipped with guards and functional emergency stop cords. Other serious work injury hazards noted by OSHA include failure to provide proper safety equipment, exposure to harmful chemicals, and electrical hazards.

As an Atlanta Workman's Compensation lawyer, electrocution injuries are commonly seen. With proper workplace safety practices, they are almost always avoidable, and should not happen in the modern workplace.

Recently, OSHA cited a contractor following a work injury and workplace death caused by an employee removing contacting a live wire while removing a demountable wall. The employer was cited for failing to protect employees from energized electrical circuits and failing to tell workers about energized electrical components in the area.

Continue reading "Worker Electrocution Leads to Fine" »

OSHA violations and dangerous working conditions often lead to work injury and to a search for the best Atlanta workers' compensation attorney. Recently, Georgia work injury claims have once again been avoided by aggressive enforcement of OSHA standards before disaster struck.

HP Pelzer Automotive Systems in Thomson, Georgia was recently visited by OSHA, where it was discovered that HP had not met the standards set forth for combustible dust. Combustible dust is a well-known workplace danger. In fact, the Imperial refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia was destroyed because of an excess of combustible dust in the sugar refinery, which led to several deaths and Georgia burn injuries.

The Flynn Law Firm an Atlanta work comp lawyer and work injury law firm, is pleased to announce a settlement on behalf of two injured workers burned in a boiler explosion in Mississippi. Jonah Flynn, along with attorneys from Fitts Zehl in Houston, Texas, represented David and Darren Clark.

Supervisors at a facility owned by International Paper Co. (IP) completed annual maintenance on a recovery boiler and restarted it without clearing workers from the area. Instead of turning on the boiler's fans to purge excess combustible gas, the supervisors decided to use "natural draft" conditions--allowing the gas to naturally rise to the top and exit the boiler. The boiler exploded, injuring several workers.

Brothers David and Darren Clark, 29 and 27, respectively, worked for an industrial insulator subcontractor at the International Paper Vicksburg, Miss. facility and were injured in the explosion. David sustained second- and third-degree burns to his hands, arms, face, and torso. His lungs were also injured due to sustained inhalation of steam, and he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Darren also suffered second and third-degree burns to his arms, face, and hands.

Both men are permanently disabled. The Clark Brothers, who had each been earning approximately $40,000 annually, incurred about $1.45 million in lost income each.
The U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration cited IP for a willful violation for not developing safety procedures for boiler startup when the primary boiler is offline. It also issued a serious violation for failing to have a procedure determining an adequate amount of odorant to be added to the gas so that workers could smell the gas as it built up.

Continue reading "Work Injury Lawsuit Settled" »

The Middletown, Conneticut Kleen Energy power plant explosion investigation is underway, with OSHA and the Chemical Safety Board both on the property to determine the cause of the Kleen Power explosion and work injuries.

According to initial reports, the Kleen Energy power plant explosionoccurred while the plant was being built, and the property was occupied largely by construction workers and contractors. The blast occurred during the process of purging an underground, high-pressure natural gas pipeline running through the facility. There are reports that welding operations were not halted during this gas purge, and it appears that non-essential personnel were allowed to remain near the gas line, which, if true, would violate OSHA standards and commonsense. As a result, 5 workers were killed, with scores more injured.

The Flynn Law Firm is a refinery explosion, work accident, and industrial accident law firm, is currently investigating claims related to the Kleen Energy explosion in Middletown. If you were at the Kleen Energy Middletown power plant at the time of the explosion, or you were injured, you are entitled to bring a claim for your injuries. Contact the Flynn Law Firm today.

Often, as an Atlanta Workers' Compensation Attorney, and Atlanta Injury attorney, there certain mechanisms of worker injury seem to manifest themselves over and over thorough the clients who walk through the door. OSHA has now released a list of its "Top 10" safety violations which seems to match the type of claims were are seeing.

Not surprisingly, scaffolding accidents top the list, with over 9,000 violations issued in 2009 thus far. Work injury most often occurs when planking and support give way, of falling objects. Fall protection was OSHA's second most cited violation. Any time a worker is working at a height of 4 feet or more, fall protection must be provided.

Electrical injuries and electrical wiring violations were also high on OSHA's list, with over 3,000 violations issued this year. Working with electricity is dangerous, and can cause burn injury and wrongful death. Overhead power line workers, linemen, engineers, welders, construction workers, and others who work in general industry or construction must be aware of the significant danger posed by electrocution. The Flynn Law Firm, a Georgia burn injury law firm, has seen far too many workers with severe burn injuries and electrical injuries, most of which are preventable through adequate workplace safety mechanisms.

The failure of a valve at a welding supply company has led to the burn injury of a welder. The industrial accident was sent a welder to the local burn center for treatment of burn injuries.

After the welder removed a valve from a settling tank, the tank malfunctioned and exploded. Smaller, secondary explosions then followed. The injured worker suffered burns to his head, upper body, hands and arms.

This case serves as an example of kind of third-party tort claim injured workers can file when hurt in a workplace accident or industrial accident. While workers compensation attorneys can obtain workers compensation benefits on your behalf, an experienced burn injury attorney can pursue your claims against product manufacturers and other third-parties who are at fault for your injuries. The value of a third-party claim is almost always significantly higher than a workers' compensation claim.