Columbus Workers' Compensation Law Blog

Readers of this blog post know that Ohio has seen its share of tragic work related accidents. Unfortunately, another horrific accident has just been reported. According to reports, two workers, who were employed by an escavating company at the Timken Co.'s Faircrest Steel Plant, near Canton, Ohio were killed when a crane boom fell on top of them.

Workplace injuries in the construction industry can be catastrophic and sometimes, as in this case, even deadly. Details of the accident and how it occurred are not known at this time, but the accident is currently being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Any worker who needs to drive as part of his or her job duties is at a substantially higher risk of being injured on the job. Ohio readers may recall a number of fatal accidents reported in this blog involving individuals that work on the highways and roads of the state and around the country. Unfortunately, another fatal workplace accident has recently claimed the life of an Ohio transportion worker.

Reports indicate that the worker was operating a backhoe to clear garbage that was behind a guardrail north of Polaris in Delaware when a tanker truck struck the backhoe, resulting in the Ohio man being thrown onto the road. He died as a result of this job-related accident. A fire ensued after the crash and firefighters needed to battle the blaze for over an hour. The reports indicate that the driver of the tanker truck, who was also probably working at the time of the accident, is currently in critical condition.

Manufacturers in Ohio know that if they do not promote a safe working environment they may be cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also known as OSHA. OSHA actively investigates all employers, and it pays particular attention to industries where the risk of injury is high. Manufacturers who frequently employ individuals that are working with heavy industrial equipment need make sure they are ensuring the safety of their workers.

Workplace accidents frequently occur when there is a breakdown in following proper safety protocols. That is when OSHA steps in to enforce the law. In a recent case, some of the violations found at a Sugarcreek facility which manufactures pallets included failing to have adequate machine guarding and personal protective equipment, failing to provide adequate protection to workers who were working with live electrical wires and failing to provide some types of protection from falls for workers working on the roof.

It is virtually impossible for Ohio residents to open the paper these days without coming upon an article about workplace injuries. From construction sites to industrial sites, safety has certainly improved over the years, but many employees continue to work in dangerous workplace environments. This is particularly true for first responders, who work an inherently dangerous job. However, all injured workers, regardless of the inherent dangerousness of their job, are entitled to compensation for workplace accidents.

According to a recent new report, an Ohio fire captain was recently injured while attending to an automobile crash victim last Tuesday. According to authorities, the car crash took place on U.S. 35 around 5:30 a.m. The fire captain was speaking to a victim of the crash when another vehicle struck that vehicle pushing the car into him. The crash resulted in a 12-vehicle pileup. Authorities blame snow and ice for multiple crashes throughout the area.