Chicago Workers' Compensation Law Blog

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was at the scene of a grain bin accident in Illinois on a recent Wednesday afternoon. Several teams of rescuers were involved in the effort to bring two workers to safety. Sadly, only one survived this work-related accident. According to the Manteno Fire Chief, an emergency call came in at about 11 a.m., and rescue teams rushed to the grain elevator.

Reportedly, two workers who were cleaning the grain bin were heading out of the 110-foot tall elevator for lunch when one of them fell. The 58-year-old employee, with a service record of 40 years with the company, became trapped when he landed on approximately 8,000 bushels of corn. His 28-year-old co-worker alerted employees at ground level, before climbing back down to help the older man.

Dropped objects pose severe risks in Illinois and wherever work is done on different levels. Safety authorities adopted standards to mitigate dropped object hazards over a year ago, but such injuries continue to occur. Even a small object dropped from an elevated work area can cause a serious work injury if it strikes a worker at a lower level.

Employers must provide tool tethers, which are lanyards used to connect the tools to anchor points. Also, proper tool attachment point planning is required before work commences. These points are fitted to tools to serve as attachment points for the lanyards, and equally important is the pre-planning of the installation of secure anchor attachments to which tool lanyards must be tethered to prevent dropped tools.

Construction workers in Illinois and across the country risk their lives on construction sites each day. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched an investigation into a construction site accident in a neighboring state. The incident left a construction worker with a serious head injury. If OSHA investigators find that noncompliance with safety standards led to the event, the employer will likely be cited and a fine proposed.

According to the police department, an emergency was reported at approximately 10 a.m. on a Thursday earlier this month. Upon arrival at the construction site, rescue personnel found an injured 26-year-old man at the third floor level of the building, which is under construction. Reportedly, a section of prefabricated concrete walling fell over, landing on top of the worker. Rescue workers say he suffered several crushing injuries.

The Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently released a list of the top five safety violations that agency inspectors identified at fire departments across Illinois in the 2019 fiscal year. The agency hopes to reduce the serious injury incidents that happen when safety standards are violated. Number one on the list involves the lack of respiratory protection that exposes firefighters to harmful vapors, fumes, dust, fog, gases, sprays and smoke.

The lack of organizational structures at fire stations includes violations related to the frequency, type and amount of safety training provided. There must also be clear guidelines as to the duties of each fire brigade member. Hazard communication violations involve the lack of data sheets and label warnings on hazardous chemicals and sufficient safety training on working with dangerous chemicals.