Pennsylvania is the proud home to many steel mills and plants, and many people know how dangerous working in the steel industry can be. At a Nebraska steel plant property in early October, three employees were involved in a serious industrial accident, resulting in the death of one worker. The man who was killed was an independent contractor, but was working with two employees of steel mill servicing company.
The men were working to dismantle and salvage a large piece of steel equipment. They were cutting part of a counterweight from the machinery when one man was struck with a part of the weight, according to the county sheriff. One of the other men was also injured, but said he was lucky because the accident occurred so quickly but he was not severely injured.
This accident serves as an example of the risks that industrial workers take, either as full-time employees of a company or as independent contractors. In either case, it is important to remain vigilant on the job as these accidents can occur so quickly and have such serious consequences. Workers' compensation is designed to aid workers who are injured in accidents like this one.
It is not the burden of the injured worker to fend for themselves after an on-the-job injury. Rather, workers' compensation can help to cover living and medical expenses due to the incident. Wrongful death in the case of the independent contractor who was killed may be an option for his family in order to help them to manage with the loss of a breadwinner.
Source: Omaha World-Herald, "Industrial accident claims life of Hoskins man," Oct. 10, 2012
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