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An explosion at a cabinetry store in New Jersey seriously injured one worker in March of 2011. The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched an investigation into the workplace accident.
The injured workerslost a part of his leg when the air compressor he was working on exploded. Metal pieces from the compressor struck his leg. The Clifton Fire Department responded to the accident and rushed the worker to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson.
“He was working on it [the air compressor], installing or changing a component,” says Deputy Fire Chief Kevin McCarthy. “The compressor tank exploded and the metal edge of the tank struck him in the leg.”
The worker was not an employee of the cabinet shop. Part of his leg was amputated at the hospital. A concrete wall was also destroyed and the Building Department deemed the building unsafe. The OSHA inspection should determine if the employer put workers in harm’s way. If any party is determined to be negligent, the worker will be entitled to damages on top of workers compensation.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus workers comp attorneys.