Tampa Bay Personal Injury Lawyer - Workplace Injuries - Most Commented

Construction Worker Killed in Jacksonville Parking Garage Collapse

Shannon Weidemann — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 15:27:25 GMT

Fourteen people were injured and one man was killed when a parking garage that was under construction in Jacksonville collapsed on Thursday. The body of the victim was discovered in the wreckage today. It is unknown why the construction accident occured. They were in the process of pouring fresh concrete at the time of the collapse.

Bulin said she expected the body to be retrieved by the end of the day. An autopsy to identify the victim was also scheduled for later Saturday.

The collapsed parking garage was a chaotic scene for the rescuers who worked to pull the injured to safety. Search and rescue dogs were called in to help. The construction site is along the St. Johns River.

If you would like to read more about construction accidents, please visit InjuryBoard's Worksite Injuries information page.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Construction Accident Injures Washington Man

Shannon Weidemann — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:02:30 GMT

A construction accident in Tenino, Washington has left an 80-year-old man injured on Monday. He was working on an underground bunker being built there. He was injured in a fall from some scaffolding.

The man was reportedly working on at eight-foot-tall scaffolding structure at the site on the 7000 block of Churchill Road Southeast around 1 p.m. when he fell and hit his head and neck on the hard dirt surface below, Lt. Chris Mealy said.

The man had to be airlifted to a hospital in Seattle for bleeding from his ear. His condtion was listed as critical. The accident will be investigated by OSHA.

For more information on this subject, please review our section on Workplace Injuries and Workers Compensation.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Construction Crane Falls Into Gulf, Injuring Operator

Courtney Mills — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 14:10:10 GMT

A construction crane operator was injured on Saturday morning when the giant crane he was maneuvering fell off a barge and tipped over into the Gulf of Mexico.

The operator was subsequently taken to Suncoast Hospital in Largo with minor abrasions on his head and body. No other incidental injuries were reported as a result of the crash.

Initial reports did not exactly clarify why the crane toppled over into the Gulf, but media reports indicated that a giant wave may have been at the root of the problem.

"It was almost like slow motion," said one witness. "The rig went into the water, the crane boom snapped over, and the weight just dragged it real slow of the end of the barge."

The crane had been performing construction on the closed Redington Long Pier in Redington Shores.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Worksite Injuries and Workers Compensation.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills

Washington D.C. Construction Accident Injures Two

Shannon Weidemann — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 12:57:57 GMT

A construction accident in downtown Washington D.C. has left two construction workers injured. They were working in a construction pit about 30 feet deep when they were hit by a steel beam. The construction accident happened on Tuesday morning on 11th Street.

D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Alan Etter said the men were about 30 feet below ground when they were lowering the beam and something broke loose.
One man was hit across the back, and the other man was hit in the head. Etter said the injuries are serious but not life-threatening.

A crane was used to retrieve the men from the hole. The men were taken to a local hospital to be treated for their injuries.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Worksite Injury and Workers Compensation.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Indiana Coal Mine Construction Accident Kills Three

Shannon Weidemann — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 05:12:10 GMT

Three construction workers were killed at a mine in Princeton, Indiana while they were building a new air shaft. A basket was being used to raise and lower workers in the air shaft and that is where the worksite accident occurred. The air shaft is 600 feet long.

Police say crews are working to remove the bodies at Gibson County Coal. The accident occurred about 11 a.m. Central time. Police say no one else was trapped or injured.

The accident is being investigated by local authorities and OSHA. The coal mine has been in operation since November of 2000. It had 68 reported accidents in 2006.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to our section on Workplace Injuries.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Employer Pinches Pennies - Worker Will Suffer For Life

Bob Carroll — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 06:40:17 GMT

When an employer decides to take unreasonable risks in order to save money, it is usually the employees who suffer the consequences. This Missouri Workers' Compensation decision shows how terrible those consequences can be. And, how unreasonable some employers can be in the pursuit of a little more profit.

"Exclusive Remedy" in the Tank: A Sad Missouri Saga

Eric Burns drove a cement truck for Kennon Ready Mix. Because the job requires hosing down the chutes after delivery, cement trucks carry a pressurized water tank. When Burns noticed the tank on his truck leaking, he brought it to the attention of his supervisor, Lynn Smith.
"No problem," said Smith. "I'll fix it." Smith spot welded the crack in the tank. Despite his doubts about the safety of the tank, which showed signs of corrosion, Burns ignored his wife's advice to quit and find a better job. He could not afford to be out of work. On April 7, 2000, the tank exploded, virtually destroying Burns's hip. He is now permanently disabled.
The question before the Missouri Supreme Court was whether Burns's recovery was limited to workers comp or whether the negligence of his supervisor reached the level of "affirmative (negligent) action." In other words, was the exploding tank a routine hazard of the job (and thus covered by comp's "exclusive remedy") or did it involve something over and beyond the hazards normally confronting a cement truck driver. (The court's complete ruling, well worth reading, is available here.)
The facts in this sad story aligned pretty dramatically against Kennon Ready Mix:
- the tank was cannibalized from a decrepit, 30 year old vehicle rusting in the yard
- Smith was not a certified welder
- Smith admitted to having "poor vision" - which he corrected with "$2.00 reading glasses"
- evidence showed that the welding job was completely incompetent
- the metal in the tank was so corroded, not even a skilled welder could have fixed it
- Smith apparently told Burns to "drive the truck until it blows."
When asked how he was able to complete the welding job despite his poor vision, Smith described his approach to the work as "kind of a feeling in the dark thing."
Pinching Pennies
You're probably wondering how much a new water tank costs. All of $400. Instead of making that modest investment in basic equipment, the employer chose to cut a corner. As a result, Burns, who is only 30, has already had three hip replacement surgeries and faces the prospect of additional surgeries every decade for the rest of his life.
The Supreme Court upheld the judgment of a lower court, which found that the affirmative negligence of the employer did indeed pierce the "exclusive remedy" provision of the comp statute. The court upheld the $2.6 million awarded by a jury. Not a lot of money in the context of Burns's lifetime of suffering, but easily enough to buy a dozen brand new cement trucks, a couple hundred water tanks and a few pair of prescription lenses.

Unfortunately, it is very unlikely the Florida Supreme Court would rule in this worker's favor. But, my partners and I continue to make the effort to obtain more than the standard workers' compensation benefits when an employer acts this irresponsibly.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bob Carroll

A Table Saw Safety Feature You Have To See To Believe

Bob Carroll — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 06:45:44 GMT

The headline caught my attention.

The World's Safest Table Saw

Then, the brief article intrigued me.

A table saw will slice your fingers off in a second if you're not paying attention. Saw Stop's ingenious system prevents the loss of fingers.

But, the You Tube video linked to this article sealed the deal. Could this be the equivalent of the Dead Man's Switch on fork lifts and train engines? If you or anyone you love uses a table saw and values his fingers you should invest 20 seconds of your time checking this out.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bob Carroll

Vehicles In The Workplace - Unsafe At Any Speed?

Bob Carroll — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 04:46:25 GMT

Today you can be a Health & Safety Executive. That's the name of a British website dealing with the full range of health and safety concerns in the employment world.

One example of the depth and focus of the website is Illustrated case studies

Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has put together some 'before-and-after' examples to help you think and talk about vehicle safety in your workplace and in other workplaces you visit. They are all based on events that our inspectors have reported.

Difficult Reversing: Unsafe

Narrow Street: Unsafe

Construction Site: Unsafe

There are more of these interactive examples. It is a remarkable collection.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bob Carroll

Flagman Flattened By Cement Truck

Bob Carroll — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 05:45:18 GMT

The flagmen of the world keep us safe. They slow us down and guide us though construction sites. But, who is keeping them safe?

Flagman hurt when he's hit by cement truck

A flagman at a Fort Lauderdale construction site was rushed to the hospital this morning after being run over by a cement truck, authorities and witnesses said.
It happened at the Trump International Hotel and Tower off of State Road A1A. Workers at the site said the man broke both of his legs.

In Florida it would not have surprised me if a 89 year old with vision problems had driven his older model Cadillac into the flagman. But, a cement truck driver? It brings back memories of an accident some years back involving a cement truck which backed right over an occupied port-o-let on a construction site. My client, who was using the port-o-let, was fortunate not to be killed.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bob Carroll

Ancient Words About Trench Safety Should Be Mandatory Reading

Bob Carroll — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 06:10:35 GMT

It seems every year brings its allotment of trench collapses which kill or seriously injure workers in Florida. After watching this tragedy for over 30 years and undertaking representation of a number of victims and their families my partners and I believe the OSHA standard for trenching is simply not on the reading list for some employers.

Maybe they would prefer to read what was said about trenching over 2300 years ago.

Nothing New About Trench Collapses

...the hazards of trenching -- and how to prevent trenching casualties -- were well known even before OSHA issued its standard -- like somewhere around 2300 years before OSHA. Just ask Heroditus.
All the other nations, therefore, except the Phoenicians, had double labour; for the sides of the trench fell in continually, as could not but happen, since they made the width no greater at the top than it was required to be at the bottom. But the Phoenicians showed in this the skill which they are wont to exhibit in all their undertakings. For in the portion of the work which was allotted to them they began by making the trench at the top twice as wide as the prescribed measure, and then as they dug downwards approached the sides nearer and nearer together, so that when they reached the bottom their part of the work was of the same width as the rest.
-- The Histories of Herodotus, The Persian Wars, Book 7 Polymnia, c. 484 - 425 BC

Thanks to Confined Space for the fascinating historical note.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bob Carroll