Industrial Accident Lawyer Blog

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.

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.

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