Pennsylvania readers know that construction sites have the distinct potential to be a hazardous working environment. Workers often have to deal with heavy machinery, large quantities of raw materials and open floors that can lead to falls. While construction companies and their workers usually take proper safety precautions, accidents still can happen.
This week a workplace accident at a hotel construction site led to the death of one worker. The hotel was adding a new wing, and the work was still in the relatively early phases. At the time of the accident, the man was stationed on a lift, guiding the installation of some structural steel supports. For a reason that is currently unknown, a crane operating on the site struck the lift.
The impact upended the lift, sending the man falling to the ground. He sustained serious injuries when he landed on a slab of concrete below. He later died of his injuries at the hospital. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun to examine the circumstances surrounding the accident, but its report may not be completed for a least a few months.
Workers in all industries have the right to expect that their employers will keep their working environment safe in compliance with federal and state regulations. Those who are injured and the family of those who are killed can use workers’ compensation laws to recover for the harm suffered on the job. Recovery can include the costs of a person’s treatment at medical care facilities and the amount of wages the worker has lost as a result of the accident.
Source: The Dartmouth, “Worker dies after construction accident at Hanover Inn,” Amanda Young, Mar. 15, 2012.