Grain facilities nationwide, including Illinois, pose many safety hazards. One of the life-threatening dangers at these facilities involve the risks of grain dust fires and explosions. The Illinois based global food processing corporation, ADM, is currently the subject of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation. This inquiry follows a fatal work-related accident that killed one person and injured another at one of the company’s grain processing facilities.
Reportedly, the incident occurred on a recent Saturday at a corn processing plant of ADM in a neighboring state. An explosion followed the ignition of a grain dust fire, ending in the death of a firefighter and leaving a second person with injuries. OSHA says this explosion followed only hours after another explosion at the company’s Decatur plant in which, fortunately, no one was injured.
Furthermore, the Decatur facility reported another explosion and fire that occurred only two months ago in a grain elevator at this plant where soybean and corn are processed. Records indicate that a serious power line-related injury happened at the Iowa facility last May, and there was a fatality in 2016. OSHA reported that two separate investigations were launched at the two facilities, and safety authorities of Iowa and Illinois where the explosions occurred will collaborate.
When a life is lost in a work-related accident in Illinois, the surviving family members are typically eligible for survivors’ benefits through the state-regulated workers’ compensation insurance system. Dealing with the navigation of benefits claims can be daunting at such a difficult time, but experienced legal counsel can assist. Workers who survive such incidents can claim benefits to cover their medical expenses and lost wages.
