A late afternoon explosion at a zinc smelting plant in Monaca, Pennsylvania last week killed two workers and sent a third worker to the hospital with serious personal injuries. The Pennsylvania construction accident at Horseheads Inc. was the latest and most serious in a long list of safety incidents at the plant. According U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) records, the agency issued 44 citations to the plant for alleged safety violations, 27 of them classified as “serious.” Safety violations included missing guardrails, use of an unapproved safety platform, lack of protection barriers, and failure to properly track worker exposure to the toxic metals lead and cadmium. In 2006, another Horseheads worker suffered severe leg burns when he stepped into an uncovered pit of molten zinc. That construction accident cost the Pennsylvania company $186.750 in federal fines.
Every year, thousands of U.S. workers are killed or seriously injured in accidents at construction sites and industrial plants. Many personal injury accidents occur when OSHA safety regulations are ignored. Poor supervision, lack of communication, poor worker training, and use of defective machinery or tools also contribute to the number of personal injury accidents in Pennsylvania and across the nation. Read more here.
When construction or industrial accidents occur, accident victims and their families are entitled to recover damages for hospital and medical expenses, lost earnings, permanent disability, emotional distress, destruction of property, physical pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and, should an accident victim die, loss of the love and companionship of their family member. Due to the complexity of construction and industrial accidents, victims and their families generally require the knowledge and assistance of an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney with proven expertise in handling construction accident cases. Pearce Law can help!