Pennsylvania factory explosion kills worker, injures two others

On Behalf of | Feb 5, 2014 | Workplace Accidents

A Pennsylvania factory was recently rocked by an explosion that left one worker dead and two others injured. The Mersen USA plant, which produces carbon and graphite products, was the scene of the accident after an industrial oven exploded. One of the injured employees is expected to make a full recovery while the other suffered serious injuries. The exact cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Yet, this is not the first workplace accident Mersen USA has had. In 2012, a worker was killed when he was impaled on a forklift. Mersen was later cited by OSHA for failing to safeguard employees who operated heavy machinery and for failing to follow forklift safety regulations. The company has also been fined for various EPA violations.

When an unsafe environment leads to a workplace injury, the harmed worker should be taken care of appropriately. His or her medical bills should be paid and he or she should be paid for compensation that was lost as a result of the injury. In the event of death, the victim’s family should receive benefits that help them get past the financial burdens unfairly thrust upon them.

To achieve these goals, legal action may be necessary. Filing a workers’ compensation claim is usually a first step, but the process may be drug out if the claim is denied. An attorney can help these individuals show unsafe working conditions caused the workers injuries and/or that the injuries were from a workplace accident which arose out of the worker’s employment.

Showing these elements may allow the worker to recover the damages he or she has suffered, allowing him or her to focus on recovering his or her health and getting back to a normal life. Enforcing workers’ rights may also increase workplace safety, thereby lessening the frequency of these tragic incidences.

Source: The Bradford Era, “One Dead, Two Injured In Explosion At St. Mary’s Factory,” Colin Deppen, Jan. 31, 2014

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