A forty-six-year-old worker was killed last week in an accident involving a piece of machinery on a construction site in New York. The accident happened at a railroad bed in Port Kent, close to Plattsburgh.
The man was an employee of Trenches Technologies of New England. On the day of the accident, he was working on the installation of a 3-foot diameter pipe, and was using an augur. At some point, the augur became bound to the pipe, throwing the worker off to the ground, and trapping him. Another worker at the scene tried to get the augur off the worker, and CPR was administered by other people at the scene. He was rushed to the hospital, but was declared dead.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is expected to begin an investigation into the accident. New York State police are already investigating the tragedy.
Accidents involving construction machinery are not uncommon. In most of these accidents, New York construction accident lawyers find that it is the lack of proper training for workers and the lack of adequate machinery safeguards that contribute to injuries. Worker training has to be an ongoing process and these programs must be implemented regularly. Additionally, machinery must come with well-functioning safeguards to prevent injuries and accidents. When employers scrimp on these safety devices, or fail to train workers to use machinery safety, the results are often disastrous.