Work explosion kills worker and injures 3 others

On behalf of Jeffrey Frederick of Frederick & Hagle posted in Workplace Accidents on Friday, August 24, 2012.

Even when careful safety precautions are taken, accidents can still happen on the job. An eruption of natural gas at a worksite has taken the life of one man and harmed three others. The workplace accident happened in a state outside of Illinois at a highly productive natural gas site. The company that experienced the accident has approximately 1,100 wells in the region.

The work disaster occurred while workers were attempting to put the newly drilled well into operation. The worker who was killed has been identified as being a 60-year-old man. Meanwhile, three other workers were transported to local hospitals. They are believed to have sustained injuries that are not life-threatening.

According to reports, authorities suspect that faulty equipment was the cause of the accident. However, the exact cause is still under investigation. It has not been released at this time whether state OSHA officials will investigate the accident.

The good news is that harm sustained by the workers may be covered by their company’s workers’ compensation policy. Further, the deceased man’s family may be able to collect death benefits from workers’ compensation to ensure that they do not have to go through any undue hardship as a result of their loss. To ensure that the proper benefits are paid, workers and their families may benefit from seeking advice, which can assist them in reaching a fair recovery. Workers are entitled to compensation benefits when they are injured in the course of their employment.

Source: Chicago Tribune, “Natural gas well burst kills one, injures three in Colorado,” Keith Coffman, Aug. 15, 2012