Worker Fatally Injured after Falling into Tank

A worker died after apparently getting trapped inside a tank and suffering head injuries at Amthor International. According to a news report in the Star Tribune, Amthor builds tanks for commercial trucks to move liquids. Rescue workers were called out to the scene after it was reported a worker was trapped in one of the tanks. About 20 minutes later, rescue workers reported the worker had been freed. An emergency helicopter crew was dispatched to the scene but were called off after it was determined the worker had died. It was the first time a worker had been trapped inside one of the company’s tanks, officials say.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 4,547 workers died on the job in 2010 in the United States. Of those deaths, 4,070 were in the construction business and the remaining fatalities were in other industries. The most common type of incident that led to workplace fatalities is falls, which comprised 35 percent of all worker deaths last year.
Under New York and federal law, employers are required to ensure that their work environments are up to code and safe for their employees. This includes providing workers with all necessary safety equipment such as harnesses, goggles, hard hats, or gloves. Although falls are the most common type of injuries at the workplace, electrocution, machinery malfunctions, cave-ins, and falling objects are also on the list of workplace hazards that may cause serious injury or even death.
In cases where workers are killed on the job, their families can seek workers compensation benefits from the employer. In some cases where parties other than an employer are involved, families may also be able to file a third-party claim. An experienced workers compensation lawyer will be able to better advise them in such cases about their legal rights and options.
If you or a loved has been injured on the job or have lost a loved one in a workplace accident, the knowledgeable New York personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm are here to help you. Please call our offices at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
www.work4youlaw.com
Source: Star Tribune