September 12, 2013
The Green Bay workers’ compensation lawyers with Sigman, Janssen, Sewall, Pitz & Burkham explain that fires and explosions are responsible for a large portion of work-related accidents. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated fires and explosions were responsible for roughly 3 percent of all workplace fatalities in 2012.
A manufacturing plant in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, owned by Packing Corp. of America, is required to pay a fine of $185,000 5after an accident involving a fire that left one worker seriously injured. According to an article from the Insurance Journal, the plant has been the site of five work-related fatalities since 2008.
Reports from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration indicate that the worker was attempting to restart a boiler at the facility when he suffered serious burn injuries. As a result, the company was issued 30 citations for safety violations. Some of the charges include failure to provide employers with proper safety equipment to conduct job duties and not storing hazardous materials in a proper fashion.
The company now has 15 days to either comply and pay the fines or contest OSHA’s findings.
Sigman, Janssen, Sewall, Pitz & Burkham’s team of Wisconsin personal injury lawyers are aware of the numerous dangers many workers face on a daily basis and are hopeful the fines recently issued will help improve work conditions at the facility.