Manufacturing plants in Florida and other states pose various hazards, many of which involve machines and equipment. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, employers must ensure that workers are not exposed to moving parts of machines. A significant number of workers’ compensation claims result from noncompliance with these safety regulations.
An employee at a manufacturer of flooring products in a neighboring state was recently killed in a workplace accident that might have been preventable. Reportedly, the incident happened on a recent Monday night. The 51-year-old employee apparently tried to remove something from the machine. The object is thought to have been a piece of carpet.
For some reason, a co-worker threw a piece of rope toward him, and in his attempt to retrieve that, he got caught in the working parts of the machine. The county coroner said that blunt force trauma caused the worker’s death, which was pronounced at the scene. OSHA typically investigates fatal workplace accidents to determine cause and to assess the company’s compliance with safety regulations.
When such an incident occurs in Florida, the surviving family members may pursue financial relief by pursuing claims for death benefits from the workers’ compensation insurance system. The benefits to which they will be entitled will include compensation for the costs of end-of-life arrangements. Additional benefits are typically paid to the dependents of a deceased worker to help them cope with living expenses in the absence of the wage income of their loved one. Different factors will be considered to determine the number of years that survivors’ benefits will be paid.
Source: ajc.com, “Man killed in North Georgia workplace accident“, Steve Burns, Oct. 31, 2017