Bridge Construction Worker Pinned, Killed
A worker at Morgan Bridge near Route 35 in Sayreville was killed last week when he became pinned. Officials are investigating the accident, and the victim’s name has not been released, according to MyCentralJersey.com.
The worker was part of a bridge project. He was pinned between the wall of the bridge and a barge. According to a Coast Guard spokesperson, the accident involved a barge and a tug boat, though the specifics aren’t clear.
OSHA will be taking the lead in the investigation, however, because it wasn’t a maritime accident, according to the Coast Guard.
The bridge is a drawbridge owned by New Jersey Transit Rail Operations and runs over the Cheesequake Creek. The Federal Register suggests the bridge was closed for track repairs for two weekends this month. The worker may have been involved in those repair projects.
The worker was employed by Hydro-Marine Construction, hired by the Department of Transportation and a subsidiary of The Castle Group. The company didn’t answer requests for statements from the media concerning the accident, and understandably so.
Perhaps the accident was preventable (most are), and perhaps the company knows the investigation will reveal shortcomings on the job site.
Whenever a construction worker is killed on the job, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will investigate. Often they find there were safety problems with how the job was being handled or even that laws were broken. Such investigations can result in serious sanctions for companies, including fines reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But it doesn’t take a fatality for OSHA to investigate a job site. The agency does routine inspections and looks for safety deficiencies in an effort to keep workers safe. They also respond to worker’s requests for investigations in some instances.
While some see OSHA as a thorn in their side, the agency is there to keep construction workers safe from tragedies like this one. In the event an accident does happen, your employer’s failure to abide by OSHA regulations is just one way in which you could be entitled to compensation.
The construction accident attorneys of Ginarte work to help injured construction workers get the compensation they deserve when an accident happens. If you were hurt at work, contact us today to discuss your legal options and how we might be able to help. We can be reached for a free consultation at 888-GINARTE.
