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.

A flash fire at the Hoeganaes Corporation facility in Gallatin, Tennessee has killed one worker and severely injured another. Wiley Sherburne, of Castalian Springs, TN was killed and Vernon Wayne Corley was injured when a flash fire occurred during maintenance on on a burner

The Hoeganaes facility makes liquid metal for gear parts, and was reported to be a dusty facility. Dust in the workplace can, and in this case did, pose a combustion hazard. These types of combustible dust explosions can often cause work injury and lead to Workers Compensation claims. With adequate housekeeping, however, dust explosion like this can be avoided.

Jon Martinez and Jason Steele, both of whom worked for United Fire Protection in St. Petersburg, Florida, were recently killed in an industrial accident while working for United Fire Protection at a former Georgia Pacific Plant in Lake Placid, Florida. The workers were fixing a pump inside a concrete block building adjacent to a water tank, when the tank (or the pump) exploded. When the tank exploded, it caused a "rush" of water, which caused the building to collapse. OSHA and local law enforcement are investigating the work accident.

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" »

Six injured workers were seriously injured when a 6-inch pipe containing high-pressure steam burst at an Indiana County power plant. Three suffered severe work injuries and were taken to the burn unit at West Penn Hospital. Steam injuries, even though they do not involve contact with fire, can be very painful and cause deep second and third degree burns, necessitating long term care and a substantial workers' compensation claim. Three other injured workers were taken to a local hospital.

Continue reading "Six Hurt In Workplace Accident at EME Homer City Generating" »

Jose Antonio Soto, from Winter Haven Florida, was killed when a road grader backed into him on the job. Mr. Soto was a contract worker working at CF Industries. His death was a tragic incident which, much like many work injuries and construction accidents can be prevented with some basic workplace safety and adequate worker training.

Continue reading "Jose Antonio Soto Killed in Construction Accident on February 12, 2011" »

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" »

A massive explosion ripped through the Federal-Mogul plant in Blacksburg, Virginia last week. The Federal Mogul Explosion caused severe burn injuries to four contractors working for a company called LCM performing routine duct work, removing aluminum dust. Jeffrey Hodges, age 45, of Bototeourt County, Virginia, and Tommy Bonds, age 53 (of Narrows, Virginia), are listed in serious condition at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Danny Collins of Pearisburg, Virginia, and John Sprangler of Roanoke, Virginia, were also injured in the Federal-Mogul explosion, and have been released from the local hospital.

Continue reading "Federal Mogul Explosion in Blacksburg, VA Causes Severe Work Injury" »

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" »

Rick Moen, of Flandreau, South Dakota, was hospitalized after being crushed in a construction site accident in Sioux Falls. He suffered several broken bones, a punctured lung, and damage to his aorta when a wooden wall panel somehow fell on him. He will be in the hospital for months as a result of his work injuries.

Under OSHA's Multi-employer worksite doctrine, and under the General Duty Clause, an injured worker who has a worker's compensation claim may also be able to pursue a third-party action against the general contractor or other sub-contractor's for creating or failing to remediate a hazardous condition. Work injury lawyers who specialize in representing those injured in construction site accidents can provide further information regarding your options if you've been in a construction accident, scaffolding collapse, or other workplace accident.

David Zorb, 33, of Pullman Washington was killed after a tractor-trailer fell off a hoist at an industrial facility. A second worker, Travis Deerkop, was reported to be in serious condition with severe upper body injuries.

These industrial accidents and work injuries can be caused by a variety of factors, and are often the result of several errors, by the employer, worker, and sometimes an outside contractor. If the worker was a contractor, then a claim against the prime employer or premises owner could be made. here, the maker of the hoist from which the tractor-trailer fell could be liable for manufacturing a defective product and failure to warn of the product's dangerous propensities.

Recently, three workers were severely burned while using cutting torches in a grain silo. Due to combustible grain dust in the air, an explosion occurred, sending the three men working at the Simmons Feed Mill in Fairland, Oklahoma to the Hillcrest Burn Center in Tulsa. The men were contractors on the property who were working below ground level cutting silos. These work injuries and burn injuries should not occur if proper safety mechanisms are in place.

Agricultural dust, such as sugar dust and grain dust, is highly explosive, and industry has known for over 100 years that grain dust in the air can cause a significant explosion. The massive explosion at the Imperial Sugar Refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia was caused by combustible sugar dust. OSHA has drafted tight regulations on combustible dust, and special standards for the grain handling industry have existed for years. With adequate housekeeping and employee training, combustible dust explosions can be kept to a minimum.

Continue reading "Another Work Injury Caused by Grain Explosion" »

Texas based Tesoro Corporation has revealed in its recent quarterly report that it is under investigation by the Environment Protection Agency for the April 2 explosion which killed seven workers an injured scores more at the Anacortes, Washington refinery.

Tesoro's previous filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission claimed the EPA was looking into the incident, but did not say whether it was a criminal or civil inquiry.

Tesoro has already been fined $2.39 Million by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (a state OSHA-type agency), after an extensive investigation into the working conditions at the refinery and how the Anacortes facility exploded. It cited the company with 39 willful and five serious violations.

The Tesoro Refinery Explosion was caused by a heat exchanger at the refinery which ruptured just after midnight on April 2, 2010, releasing hydrocarbon vapor. The vapor ignited, leading to a massive fire. Seven workers died.

An explosion at an industrial facility in Gurnee, Ill., as caused one work injury. An electrical box outside a storage faciity exploded, throwing a sub-contractor back into a chain link fence, causing injuries to the man's wrists and legs. Authorities believe there may have been a small hydrogen leak which caused the explosion.

Anytime there is an industrial accident like this, the injuries are both physical and mental. Workers who have experienced something like a workplace fire or explosion usually suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and often cannot return to work in the industrial setting. Because workers in industry can have a high rate of pay, the lost earnings incurred as a result of a work injury might be in the millions of dollars.