OSHA investigation follows fatal workplace accident

Every person in Massachusetts faces a significant amount of dangers as they maneuver throughout their regular day. In fact, many people may be completely unaware of some of the potential dangers in one of the places where they spend a great deal of time — their workplace. For example, one out-of-state family is likely in mourning after a workplace accident recently resulted in a fatality.

The accident happened around 2 p.m. in mid-May. According to reports, the 42-year-old victim had been delivering sound barriers to a road construction site. He was reportedly standing behind a truck when a 7.5 ton concrete slab tumbled off the truck and onto him.

The slab was not removed until several hours later, and the man died at the scene of the accident. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have launched an investigation into the accident. If it discovers that workplace health or safety standards were violated leading up to the fatal accident, the man’s employer could face significant fines and/or citations.

Unfortunately, a workplace accident such as this one that took a man’s life can happen at any time, leaving families grieving and facing a difficult financial future. As a result, Massachusetts requires employers to provide workers’ compensation insurance coverage for employees. In the event of an accident, such benefits can help a worker — or his or her dependent family members in the event of a fatal incident — with the financial ramifications of such an incident. However, dealing with the insurance company to ensure adequate compensation is often time consuming and burdensome. Because grieving families already have a significant amount of stress, they often seek guidance from a professional with experience handling workers’ compensation benefits.

Source: equipmentworld.com, “Worker crushed and killed by falling slab inside Jacksonville work zone“, Wayne Grayson, May 18, 2015