Attorney
Representatives from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, a Washington, D.C.-based federal agency, recently visited a zinc plant in Pennsylvania after an explosion killed two workers and injured two more. The two killed were members of the United Steelworkers Local 8183 union and died as a result of suffocation from smoke inhalation. If unsafe work conditions have led to injury for you or a loved one, a Washington, D.C. personal injury lawyer can help you take steps to ensure that an accident does not happen again.
Steelworkers’ unions from across the country have reached out to the Pennsylvania plant and the families of those killed in the accident. The Steelworkers’ international union sent six people to help with the investigation and to help the families. In the meantime, the zinc plant will be shut down while authorities investigate the accident, and the plant’s other operations will go forward at a reduced capacity.
Unfortunately, government records suggest that the company has not heeded safety recommendations in the past. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued the plant 44 citations for safety violations in the past, 27 of which were serious. The citations involve such things as failure to use an approved safety platform, failure to provide guardrails, and failure to provide protection barriers. As the investigation into the explosion continues, it would be a shame to learn that two men lost their lives due to the company’s refusal to adhere to safety standards.
If unsafe workplace conditions have led to your or a loved one’s injury, contact a Washington, D.C. personal injury attorney at Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis L.L.P to learn how you can obtain compensation for your injuries.