Industrial Accident Lawyer Blog

Atlanta workers' compensation lawyers are kept busy by claims filed by employees hurt on the job in a variety of scenarios. Often, the workers comp claim is simple: employee vs. employer in an administrative action pending before the Georgia State Board of Workers Compensation.

However, sometimes, workers with many different employers are working at a facility, many of whom are contractors, at the time of injury. In that situation, a Georgia workers compensation claim can be filed against the injured worker's employer, and a third-party work injury lawsuit or construction accident lawsuit may be filed against other contractors or the premises owner for creating dangerous working conditions. Contractors who come on the property are typically in harms way---they have no training or instruction on what's happening on the jobsite, are provided little or no information about safety issues, and, sometimes, are brought onto a job because the tasks are too dangerous for the premises owner's own workers.

Continue reading "Injured Contractors Find Few Remedies for On The Job Injuries in Texas" »

A contractor working on construction of the Forsyth County, Georgia water treatment facility was killed in a Georgia workplace accident last week. The worker was trapped under a piece of machinery which had rolled over onto him. According to published reports, the worker was trapped under a forklift type device and was "completely under" the machine when he was found.

The safety of contractors and sub-contractors on a construction project or in an industrial setting is often overlooked. Contractors should be included in the daily tailgate safety meetings, weekly safety meetings, and should be given a contractor safety manual when they begin work. They should always wear clothing that signifies their contractor status on the property, and, ideally, should enter and exit through a separate "contractor gate." Unfortunately, contractors are usually just allowed on the property and instructed on their specific scope of work----and nothing else. They are generally not brief in special safety issues, and not provided any site specific training. This is a serious problem in work place safety which leads to workers' compensation claims and construction construction injuries.

While performing demolition work in Channahon, Illinois, Timothy Shields was killed in a construction accident by a one inch piece of rebar. Shields and another man were breaking down sections of a weigh scale when a 10 foot section of rebar broke loose, striking Mr. Shields in the forehead underneath the hardhat. Mr. Shields was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Wearing PPE, as Mr. Shields was doing, is always one of the best way to maintain a safe work environment and avoid a work injury, but wearing PPE alone does not provide a 100% guarantee that you will not be the victim of an on the job injury. Construction demolition work, particularly at old industrial sites, can be especially treachorous, because there are no plans or specs to be reviewed, and the work can be somewhat chaotic. Georgia workers' compensation lawyers are frequently called upon to represent those hurt during the demo phase of a construction project.

Recently, and workplace death occurred when an object fell from a crane while it was being dismantled. Michael Parsons, age 42, was killed, and another worker injured in the crane accident in Oklahoma.

In Georgia, crane operations are highly technical events which require experts on the job site and in the field. Planning and communication among crews are both essential any time a crane is being erected, dismantled, or operated. Cranes pose a special risk of construction accidents and a problem with a crane on a work site can be fatal.

Cranes are an essential part of modern construction, and are frequently used on construction projects large and small. Adequate training and job safety awareness are required for anyone working on, with, or around a crane.

Construction accident lawsuits have been filed in Atlanta over the work injures sustained in the Botanical Gardens elevated platform collapse. The lawsuits allege that the Botanical Gardens and certain contractors working on the elevated platform, as well as the project architects, were negligent in the design and assembly of the horizontal structural system used on the platform, leading to its collapse. Several construction workers were injured, and those workers filed Atlanta construction accident lawsuits as a result.

Philip Soukup, a 35 year-old construction worker, was killed in a construction accident. Mr. Soukup was operating a soil compactor on an embankment when he suddenly fell off the machine. At that point, it rolled over him, killing him instantly. OSHA has begun its investigation, and will be examining whether Mr. Soukup's employer provided rollover protection safety training to it's workers.

Atlanta workers compensation lawyers and construction accident lawyers handle complex factual and legal issues which always exist anytime a work injury occurs.

Edgar Rieffel, a contractor at the Atlanta airport working on the expansion of the international terminal, was killed on the job in Georgia recently. Mr. Rieffel worked for DH Pace & Co., an overhead door contractor. While the cause of death is currently unknown, OSHA is investigating the incident.

Every day in America, at least 14 workers are killed on the job. While an Atlanta Workers Compensation attorney can help you with a work injury claim, recovery for a Georgia worksite death will be very limited in the workers comp context. To obtain full recovery, a third-party claim, against other contractors on the job site, the premises owner, and others should be filed.

Continue reading "Georgia: Construction Accident Leads to Death at Hartsfield" »

Often, there's only so much even the best Atlanta worker's compensation attorneycan do for Georgia workers. Dangerous working conditions often lead to work injury and sometimes worker death. Dangerous workplace practices often lead to injuries which are usually avoidable had safety guidelines been followed.

Continue reading "Work Death and Worker's Compensataion Claim Caused by Dangerous Workplace" »

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.

Five construction workers repairing balconies at a residential highrise were hurt at work, and subsequently died, after scaffolding the men were working on collapsed. The men plunged thirteen stories. Four men died, with one living but in critical condition.

According to OSHA, scaffolding collapse is a leading cause of work accidents, including Atlanta Workers' Comp claims. If you've been hurt on the job or have sustained a work injury, call the Flynn Law Firm.

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 U.S. Department Labor recently issued a scathing report critical of Nevada's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The department of labor looked into Nevada OHSA's handling of 25 work accidents involving fatalities, and found the agency did not properly investigate the workplace accidents or levy the appropriate penalties. Problems with the Nevada OSHA offices ranged from inadequate methods of internal communication to an office-wide policy, in essence, to not issue violations for "willfull" violations of OSHA standards. In half of the cases examined, Nevada OSHA did not tell the family of the worker killed in a construction accident that there was an investigation. This failure violated Nevada law. These findings do not come as a surprise to Atlanta workers compensation attorneys or to lawyers who represent those who have been the victim of a Georgia work injury cases

Continue reading "Nevada Construction Workers Placed in Danger During Recent Construction Boom" »

A West Virginia construction worker was needlessly killed recently while performing ground operations during the costruction of a strip-mall in West Virginia.

The project's general contractor, Agsten Construction Co., employed the worker. The worker injured in the workplace accident was a carpenter when a 35-foot-long, 500-pound joist suspended by straps on a crane fell because the straps failed. The straps may not have been properly secured to the joist mechanism, which may have caused the strap failure.

Crane accidents are responsible for thousands of injuries and deaths every year, and are the one of the leading types of construction accidents which lead to worker injury.

The crane subcontractor, Kanawha Valley Construction and Erection Co. Inc. was cited for "serious" violations, including exposing employees to being struck or crushed by a falling bar joist, failure to remove from service a severely frayed sling used to lift bar joists, and failure to use padding that would prohibit a sling from easily being cut by a sharp bar joist edge. OSHA proposed a total of $4,000 in penalties.

Victims of construction accidents may be able to recover under workers compensation, and also might have claims against other culpable third parties. If you have been injured on the job, contact Jonah Flynn, a Georgia workplace accident attorney, to learn about your rights.