Work accidents on construction and mining sites are unfortunately a common occurrence throughout the Midwest. As workers throughout Illinois know, dangers are inherent to work environments with heavy machinery, but that inherent danger doesn’t excuse contractors and other employers from implementing a proper training plan for employees.
Federal guidelines are in place to prevent workplace injuries, but too often those guidelines aren’t followed.
According to the Mine and Safety Administration, the death of a man from Marion, Illinois, might have been prevented if his employer had followed proper procedures. The man’s death is especially difficult to fathom, given that his injury started out as a broken ankle that led to a blood clot, and it was the blood clot that took his life.
He was working on the site of a mine in southwestern Indiana when a hose used to pump concrete broke free and hit him. The impact fractured his left ankle, and nine days later, he passed away in his home in Illinois.
The MSA reported that a “non-contributory citation” had been given to the contractor who employed the man. According to the citation, Frontier Kemper Constructors failed to provide a proper list of task assignments for the worker. Such a list was supposed to be included in an approved training document.
It remains to be seen what sort of compensation the worker’s family will receive. Anyone whose loved one has died in a work-related accident should be aware the possible legal remedies. Illinois has a no-fault workers’ compensation system, meaning injured workers or their families don’t have to prove that an employer acted negligently. However, workers’ compensation claims often overlap with third-party personal injury claims, and anyone concerned with these mattes would do well to consult with a workers’ compensation attorney.
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