Industrial Accident Lawyer Blog

Trench collapses are a common source of Georgia workers compensation claims and workplace injury claims. Often, trenches are dug quickly, with little or no structural design required to ensure those digging are actually safe. In January, Michael Wilson, of Chester County, PA, was killed when a trench he was digging collapsed.

Recently, OSHA fined Wilson's employer, J.D. Eckman, Inc., for failing to have trained supervisors on hand to adequately supervise the digging operation. Additionally, the two men working on the trench were not trained on the use of pneumatic jack hammers, and were using the equipment in a way which led to the collapse.

Continue reading "Trench Collapse Leads To Work Injuries, Death" »

Charles Grundy, of St. George, Utah, was killed in a workplace accident when he was hit by a front-end loader driven by a co-worker. The work injury occurred on Interstate 15 in an area near the Utah-Nevada border. According to news reports, Grundy was standing in the Southbound Lane of I-15 with his back turned while talking on his cell phone. A co-worker did not see him and simply ran him over.

When someone dies on the job, or when three or more employees are hospitalized in a single event, OSHA is automatically called to investigate. The co-worker who ran him over probably did not have adequate training, and the jobsite was obviously not adequately monitored or supervised.

Construction accidents keep the best Georgia workers' compensation lawyers busy, with worksite injuries becoming more and more common. Often, work injuries are not isolated incidents---and are often preventable.

One such work accident recently occurred in Knoxville, Tennessee, when Solin Estrada Jiminez was killed when a chunk of concrete fell off a support beam of the Henley Street Bridge. Jiminez was an undocumented worker for Britton Bridge, LLC.

Continue reading "Construction Accident Claims Life of Solin Estrada Jiminez" »

An unidentified electrical lineman was killed in Mifflin, Wisconsin last week after apparently coming into contact with energized power lines. The 39-year old lineman was working for a private utility contractor in the area when he suffered a life-ending work injury.

Electrical lineman are often exposed to dangerous working conditions, and, as a result, should consult the best Georgia workers compensation attorney when they suffer an on the job injury. A good workers compensation lawyer can help the injured lineman with his workers compensation case, and can also identify potential third-parties who may be responsible for the lineman's injuries.
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February 7 marks the three year anniversary of the Imperial Sugar Refinery explosion, which caused 8 deaths and numerous Georgia work injury claims to be filed. The Flynn Law Firm represents 6 workers injured in the blast. The explosion was caused by excess sugar dust in a conveyor running under the silos at the refinery. Secondary explosions were then caused by the huge amount of sugar all over the facility. After the explosion, OSHA implemented standards on combustible dust, and specifically mandate that 1/32" of sugar may be allowed to accumulate on surface areas. Work injury lawyers represented several claimants who were injured in the explosion.

Continue reading "Three Year Anniversary of Imperial Sugar Explosion Marked by Service" »

Every week, injured workers from Georgia and across the country call the Flynn Law Firm looking for an Atlanta Workers Compensation Attorney. Often, these workers are surprised to learn that Georgia Workers Compensation is not the only available remedy----that they may have a third party case to file against those other than the employer.

Under the Georgia Workers Compensation system, workers hurt on the job are entitled to have their medical bills paid and a certain portion of their wages paid, and that's it. In a third-party work injury case, an injured worker can recover the full value of their past and future medical bills, plus damages for pain, suffering, and emotional distress. In the wrongful death context, the family of someone killed on the job can recover for the full value of the life of the decedent-----a substantial sum. Workers comp. provides far less to the family of a deceased worker.

Most Atlanta Workers Compensation attorneys only practice workers comp (and administrative area of law), and don't go to court, don't know anything about OSHA regulations, and simply do not understand the complexities of a third-party work injury lawsuit. If you have been hurt on the job or in a Georgia construction accident, you can always call the Flynn Law Firm to obtain a free consultation and determine what rights you have against other companies besides your employer.

A natural gas explosion ripped through a home Tuesday, destroying the structure and injuring two people. These explosions are more common that one would think, and they can cause massive damage to your home or Georgia workplace.
Natural gas leaking from an underground pipe apparently seeped into the home's basement. The gas then gathered in the basement rafters, until something ignited it, causing the explosion.

Natural gas does not have an odor when it comes out of the ground---the odor is added by producers and distributors, as a safety measure. That odor, called "ethyl mercaptan," is a warning agent in the event of leakage or spills. Often, when a natural gas explosion occurs and the home occupants do not escape, it's because they didn't "smell" the gas---often a result of the absence of ethyl mercaptan.

Natural gas hazards occur not just in the home, but also at the workplace, and can lead to Georgia work injury. If you are working around natural gas and don't smell the odor in the gas, you should speak to your supervisor and have your employer pull the natural gas source out of service to determine whether ethyl mercaptan was properly added to the gas. Failure to do so could lead to an explosion.

Storage of flammable liquids can lead to Georgia work injury and Atlanta workers comp claims. Sometimes, workers are exposed to health hazards because there is inadequate respiratory protection or a failure of industrial hygiene practices at the job site. An appropriate respiratory program is required to prevent Georgia workerman's compensation claims and Georgia work injury claims, and should be insituted by any employer or multi-employer worksite where toxic chemicals could be found.

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" »

Whether you've been injured in an Atlanta Workers' Compensation event, or whether you have a work injury claim against a third party, an injury on the job is never pleasant.

By way of example, a plant explosion recently occurred at a metal factory when men working with a furnace became engulfed in flames. These types of injuries are ALWAYS preventable if workers are wearing basic PPE and exercising common sense.

When working in hot environments (like a furnace) workers should be wearing fire proof gloves and clothing, which provides adequate PPE redundancies, eliminates skin exposure, and significantly reduces the probability of work injury.

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.

Georgia work comp lawyers see clients with preventable injuries caused by dangerous working conditions. Often, it is a workers compensation claim or work injury which leads an employer to initiate appropriate workplace safety initiatives.

Recently, in Macon, Georgia, OSHA inspectors were proactive in inspecting the Robins Air Force Base, and found dangerous conditions which could have led to a Georgia work injury had it not been discovered. When OSHA visited the facility, it found process issues identified that did not meet OSHA standards, specifically noting problems with sanding equipment and protective gear.

Continue reading "GA: OSHA Violations and Work Injury" »

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" »

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.