Workplace accident in North Carolina claims a life

In order to keep their workers safe, employers should provide them with safety training and safety manuals and, if the job requires it, safety equipment. Preventing an

This was the case in a workplace accident recently in North Carolina, where a 49-year-old man fell from the cell tower he was working on and died. The man was working on a 200-foot tower when it is suspected he lost his balance in the process of hooking a carabiner on to his safety harness to the tower itself.

When a worker is injured on the job, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) may conduct an investigation into the cause of the accident to determine if the employer was negligent. If a company is found to be at fault, OSHA may levy fines against the employer, and insist there policies be changed in ordered to ensure employee safety.

Even when OSHA does not investigate, injured workers and family members of deceased workers have a right to file a workers’ compensation claim to recover compensation to cover medical expenses and replace lost wages. Though it is not possible to quantify the loss suffered by a family when they lose someone, if the victim was the primary breadwinner of the family, it may add a financial burden to the already heavy emotional burden family members are carrying. A successful claim may ease that burden.

Source: WTVD-TV ABC 11, “Worker dies after fall from cell tower in Harnett County,” Greg Barnes, Aug. 13, 2013.