The Occupational Safety and Health Administration prescribe safety regulations to address the known dangers in every industry. However, some hazards exist in many different industries, and business owners must ensure that employees are protected from harm. One such a hazard is mechanical equipment such as lawn mowers. Following a recent fatal work-related accident in Illinois, safety investigators are trying to determine whether non-compliance with safety regulations might have been the cause.
Authorities reported that an emergency call came in shortly before 1 p.m. on a recent Friday from a wastewater treatment plant. The available information indicates that a 50-year-old sewer worker somehow landed in the water and became pinned under a lawn mower. Paramedics rushed him to a hospital in the area, but he died at approximately 2:30 p.m.
The medical examiner cited the cause of death as drowning and ruled that it was an accident. The deceased man’s employer said he had been a sewer worker in the maintenance division of the water works department for 19 years at the time of his death. An OSHA investigation might bring more clarity as to the circumstances that led to the man landing in the water. Compliance with safety regulations will likely be the focus of the investigation.
Losing a loved one in a work-related accident is not something wished on any family. Although nothing can replace a lost life, the survivors’ benefits that are offered by the Illinois workers’ compensation insurance program might ease the financial burden brought about by lost income and end-of-life expenses. The assistance of an experienced workers’ comp attorney is available to help navigate claims for such benefits.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times, “Sewer worker killed in Hanover Park workplace accident“, May 9, 2017