Industrial Accident Lawyer Blog

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.

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.

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." »

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" »

Another oil refinery explosion has caused work injury and worker death, and has also led to the fling of workers compensation claims, this time in New Mexico. The Navajo Refinery, owned by Dallas, Texas based Holly Corp., exploded because the plant operator failed to follow safety instructions. According to a recently filed lawsuit, several workers were injured the the explosion, some suffering burn injury. Apparently, a large tank used to produce tar exploded, causing this incident.

Continue reading "Refinery Explosion Leads to Death; OSHA Investgating" »

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" »

Just before the CT explosion at the Kleen Energy Power Plant in Middletown, CT, a frantic warning about high levels of natural gas was given by a plant employee, urging workers to evacuate. Those warnings came to late, and, as a result, worker deaths and work injuries occurred when the Kleen plant exploded.

Prior to the CT Explosion, operators pumped natural gas into a manmade depression behind the main plant building, called the "power block building." During this purge, welders were allowed to continue working in the area, despite OSHA guidelines which mandate that non-essential personnel be evacuated from the area during a purge.

Connecticut explosion lawyer. Connecticut burn lawyer. Kleen Energy Explosion.

Continue reading "Warning Given Before CT Explosion at Kleen Energy Plant" »

A state panel looking into the cause of the Middletown power plant explosion has begun its work. The panel, led by a federal judge, will identify the cause and origin of the explosion. The February 7, 2010 explosion killed 5 and injured scores more. It occurred when a natural gas pipeline was being purged. According to some reports, workers at the Kleen Energy power plant were overworked and working overtime at the time of the Middletown Explosion.

The Flynn Law Firm is a work injury, industrial accident, and Workers Compensation lawyer currently investigating claims related to the Kleen Energy explosion. If you have been involved in the Middletown explosion, you may be able to make a third party claim against contractors on the property and even Kleen Energy itself, as well as a claims against manufacturers of equipment, valves, and testing devices which were being used at the Kleen Energy power plant on February 7 and may have caused the explosion.

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.