The Ohio Division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recently opened an investigation into Cleveland Track Material after one of the company's employees died in an accident. On Aug. 21, a 45-year-old worker died when his clothing became entangled in machinery at a major railway track and component company. After the August accident, OSHA is investigating whether the absence or failure of machine guarding procedures figured in the accident. OSHA inquiries may takes up to six months, but the agency said its deliberations should be available within a few weeks.
Manufacturers are required to use machine guards to prevent this type of accident. In the past, the company received multiple citations in 2004 and 2009 for machine guarding violations. According to an OSHA representative, violations for problems dealing with machine guarding are one of the top 10 reasons citations are written.
According to one report, 13 workers die every day in America due to work-related accidents, and 4,628 workers died on the job in 2012. The total number of workers in the U.S. injured on the job yearly averages four million.
Workers' compensation is an insurance program that provides benefits to workers injured on the job. When a person dies in a work-related incident, as in this case, their immediate family may lose a large amount of financial support. Workers' compensation may provide death benefits to alleviate this loss. Funeral and burial costs may also be covered. In some cases the filing process can be complicated or a claim may be denied. However, by working with an attorney who has experience with such cases, a victim's family may be able to effectively pursue compensation.
Source: Cleveland.com, "OSHA investigation under way at Cleveland Track Material following fatality there last week", Marcia Pledger, August 27, 2014