Road construction is dangerous work. Work zone injuries and fatalities have many causes, including distracted drivers, weather, and the machinery and tools that workers use every day. A recent workplace fatality in New Bern, NC is an example of a fatal workplace accident involving road construction machinery.
A man died when a construction roller tipped over. Initial reports of the fatal accident did not state whether the man was operating the roller when it overturned, or whether he was working near the roller when the accident happened. Either scenario could have resulted in a fatal accident. Construction rollers can tip easily, and there are often uneven surfaces in construction areas that can cause them to tip over, crushing the operator and possibly other workers nearby. Also, some rollers have seatbelts and rollover protection devices, but some do not. Even when a roller has seatbelts and other safety equipment, workers sometimes do not use the seatbelts and other safety features, thus increasing their accident risk.
The State Department of Labor is investigating the accident, and other agencies may join in the investigation. When workplace accidents, especially fatalities, are investigated, surprising things often come to light regarding the circumstances surrounding the injury or death that help others understand more about workplace accidents. For example, people who do not work with heavy machinery might think that workers who operate heavy machinery are always qualified to do so and always follow proper safety procedures because their work is so dangerous.
Unfortunately, the operation of heavy machinery is not always carried out with the appropriate degree of care and concern. While not every heavy machinery violation it finds during its workplace inspections leads to an injury or a fatality, many OSHA workplace violations involve heavy machinery. Heavy machinery accidents are one of the top four causes of construction worker deaths, along with falls, electrocution, and getting hit by an object.
Operating heavy machinery is a dangerous job. However, employers and employees can work together to decrease the risk of injury or death in areas where heavy machinery is used. For example, employers can inspect their equipment and maintain it in a safe condition. They can provide personal safety equipment for employees who will be operating the equipment, and they can train their employees on the safe operation of heavy equipment. Employees can also inspect the machinery they are using and alert their employers if it needs repair before it can be operated safely. Employees must use safety equipment that is provided to them, and they must follow the safe operating procedures that they learn while they are receiving the training that enables them to operate heavy machinery.
A workplace accident attorney can help you with the work of pursuing a claim for damages after a heavy machinery workplace accident so that you can focus on healing from your injuries. If your family lost someone in a heavy machinery workplace accident, a workplace accident attorney could take on the task of pursuing a claim for damages while you and your family focus on recovering from your loss. Call the Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (800) 707-9577 to learn more.