occupational safety and health

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined three downtown Jacksonville contractors for design and construction flaws that caused the December 6th collapse of the Berkman Plaza 2 parking garage that killed one and injured 20 other workers. Nearly $193,000 has been filed against Choate Construction, Southern Pan Services and A.A. Pittman & Sons Concrete. The companies are alleged to have failed [...]

On January 10, two brothers from Mexico were victims of a wall collapse in Queens, NY. One was crushed by scaffolding and cinder and died from his injuries. The New York Times reports that his brother and two other workers were injured in the accident. These types of wall collapses are common at construction sites. In fact, 101 workers died from being crushed or caught in collapsing materials in 2008. In the past [...]

MercuryNews.com reports that a California jury awarded worker David Travis more than $11.7 million for his injuries suffered during construction of a San Rafael, California hotel in 2007. After hitting his head multiple times while working, he was nearly paralyzed and now has lifelong neurological injuries. It was determined that the general contractor, Bison Builders, did not provide a safe work environment, and t [...]

Philly.com reports that a Chester police officer was struck by a car on Thanksgiving night while directing traffic around a traffic accident. He was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries to his head, neck, and back. On average, one police officer is killed every month while conducting a traffic stop or helping a disabled motorist. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health r [...]

One construction worker died and another was injured after a roof collapsed at The Hill School in Pottstown on November 1. An article in The Delaware County Times reported that the men were working on the roof of a utility building when the Pennsylvania construction accident occurred. Falls from roofs are of particular concern at construction sites. In 2008, there were 121 worker deaths in caused by falls from a [...]

Justin Plank, a 21-year-old man, was injured on May 12 at a gas station in Norwalk, CT after a steel beam fell off a payloader and struck him in the leg. According to this article, Plank was guiding a 16-foot steel pillar into place at when a chain wrapped around the claw-bucket holding the beam slipped. The beam crashed to the ground and cut a gash into his lower left leg. Plank, who works for East Hartford-based [...]

A man working as part of a construction company at Calise & Son’s Bakery in Lincoln, Rhode Island, was rushed to the hospital after an accident partially severed his leg on December 29. According to an article, the local Fire District Chief said that the victim is 50-years-old, and was working on a hole in the ground that was getting ready to be filled with concrete when he was injured. The man was taken to [...]

A Pennsylvania worker suffered severe injuries to his legs after being run over by a forklift, according to a recent news report. The 48-year-old man was taken to the hospital for treatment after the Pennsylvania workplace accident, which happened in Hatfield Township. Officials are still looking into how and why this forklift accident occurred. According to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, forkli [...]

A 33-year-old construction worker died in Southhampton Village, New York on January 4, 2010 when a foundation wall at a worksite collapsed and pinned him underneath. According to a report, the accident may have been the result of poor workmanship and attempts to cut corners. The worker was trapped beneath the fallen concrete wall. According the article, the victim was digging under the wall before the collapse to [...]