Blog: Workplace Accidents

Shippingport power plant accident kills 2, injures 4

Aug 30, 2017

An early morning explosion at the Bruce Mansfield Power Plant in Beaver County filled an underground pit with sludge killing two contractors. Four others were injured. The two contractors who were killed worked for Enerfab Corp. It is reported that they were in a “well-type” area at the Bruce Mansfield Plant late Tuesday night when they removed an elbow joint in a pipe, which released hydrogen sulfide gas into their confined space. The power plant...

Distraction blamed for Philadelphia Amtrak crash

May 18, 2016

The 2015 Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia that killed 8 people and injured almost 200 others is now thought to have been caused by distraction on the part of the conductor. An investigation has found that the conductor, Brandon Bostian, had been listening to radio transmissions about another train's windshield having been hit by a rock right before the derailment happened. According to the investigation, Bostian's distraction caused him to lose track of his location on...

Coal mining deaths at a record low

Jan 6, 2016

There is good news for people who work in the coal mining industry: on-the-job deaths for coal miners are at a record low. The last week in December the death toll stood at 11, whereas in 2014 there were 16 mining-related fatalities. Three of the deaths occurred in Pennsylvania, the most of any state. Of the deaths that occurred this year, seven happened in underground mines, and four of those were caused by roof or wall collapses...

Another FedEx worker dies in work accident

Nov 24, 2015

It is that heartwarming time of year, when we see more FedEx and UPS trucks on the roads. With the holidays having arrived, family and friends are sending each other gifts to show their love and appreciation. With this happy time of year, however, come some risks for accidents. Behind every FedEx package you receive is a job, and workers who dedicate the precious hours of their days to serving the needs of people not...

Pittsburgh worker falls 15 feet in workplace accident

Jul 12, 2015

A workplace accident in Allegheny County caused one man to be injured and another to be stranded on a roof. When two men were working on the roof of a home on Pulawski Way in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a stairwell collapsed. The stairwell collapsing caused one of the two men to fall down about two stories. He sustained cuts and bruises as a result. The other worker was stranded on the roof. The stairwell was said...

Workplace safety? There are apps for that

Jun 13, 2015

There are many things that individuals and companies do to try to keep workers safe. As technology has infiltrated so many parts of our lives the area of workplace safety has not been left behind. Instead, many apps focused on that objective have been created. There are so many that the national director of Compliance Programs for ASSE recently conducted a study focused on the subject. As a part of the study, more than 150...

Workplace accident causes death of paramedic

Mar 3, 2015

In Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a paramedic was killed while responding to a car accident on Route 271. The victim was hit by a coal truck. The ambulance service was responding to one of many car accidents in Upper Yoder Township in Cambria County when the work accident occurred. The coal truck driver could not stop as he approached the accident scene that the paramedic was responding to. As he lost control of his vehicle, he crashed...

Tree trimmer dies in workplace accident

Nov 21, 2014

It is fair to say that when heading off to work each day, most people do not consider that they will be seriously injured or die while at work. It is likely that this was the case for a 54-year-old man who worked as a tree trimmer in Butler County. The man was killed in the midst of doing his job. At the time of the incident the man was trimming branches on trees located...