Illinois construction accident kills 1 worker, injures 3 others

On behalf of Jeffrey Frederick of Frederick & Hagle posted in Construction Workers’ Accidents on Thursday, April 7, 2016.

An Illinois construction site became the scene of a tragedy after three workers were killed and another was injured in a terrifying accident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration arrived on the scene sometime after the construction accident in order to determine its cause. A steel beam was blamed for the accident.

Overnight construction on an I-90 bridge was halted by the steel beam’s fall. The beam — which weighs approximately 45 tons — was being lifted while several workers were underneath it, operating multiple lifts. OSHA’s preliminary investigation determined that that one of the supporting chains or straps failed during the process, which resulted in the beam collapsing. All four workers who were underneath the beam were taken to two different area hospitals; later, one of them was pronounced deceased.

This is not the first incident that prompted OSHA to take action against the construction company. Since 2006, the company has received nine citations, for which it has forked over approximately $6,500 in fines. Most of those citations were issued in regard to violating lead safety protocols.

OSHA is continuing its investigation into the construction accident and the Illinois’ company’s on-site safety practices. However, injured workers and the surviving family members of those killed on the job do not have to wait until the investigation is concluded to file for workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits are essential to workers and their families and are used to address related medical costs, lost wages and meeting daily expenses while still in the recovery process.

Source: fox32chicago.com, “Worker killed, 3 injured when beam falls at suburban construction site“, April 5, 2016