Company fined by OSHA after fatal workplace accident

Factories have been credited with helping to push this country’s economic engine for years. While the manufacturing side of the economy has diminished, there are still many workers who labor in these industries. Factory work does carry a risk of a serious workplace accident, even when the employees follow all safety protocols. Workers in Massachusetts and elsewhere generally place safety at the top of their to-do lists.

Last February, a 29-year-old man was killed when a pre-formed concrete product fell and crushed him. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration commenced an investigation that lasted several months. The federal agency concluded that employees at the concrete plant had been exposed to numerous dangers.

OSHA found that the anchors that were implanted into the concrete pre-formed casts failed due to overload stress. The plant was cited and fined $21,000 for three serious violations. The victim was the first worker fatality at the plant, which employs approximately 30 people.

The company has contested all of the agency’s findings and the resultant fines. Each alleged infraction carried the maximum $7,000 penalty for a serious violation. The worker who died in this workplace accident left behind a child who likely will qualify for death benefits from that state’s workers’ compensation program. Massachusetts employees are ensured of the right to seek the maximum benefits whenever one is a victim of a work-related injury or illness, and many have found that an experienced workers’ compensation attorney was helpful in obtaining all applicable benefits. Surviving families of deceased victims are entitled to pursue claims for death benefits, including a lost income package for covered dependents.

Source: twincities.com, “Wisconsin concrete plant fined after worker dies“, Dec. 23, 2014