Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigators have begun piecing together what occurred in the minutes leading up to a man’s death at a construction site on Friday, Jan. 26.
It appears that Grand Island resident had been working up on a raised structure at the Hastings fertilizer plant at the crossroads of Showboat Road and Highway 6 moments before his 4:00 p.m. fall. Officers from the Adams County Sheriff Office, who initially responded to the scene, estimated the scaffolding he fell off of may have been as high as 80 feet off the ground.
When asked to comment on the status of the investigation, a spokesperson for OSHA’s Omaha office noted that a federal investigator had just been assigned to the case on Monday. He, therefore, noted that no conclusions had been reached as to where to place blame for this incident.
He did, however, note that a check of safety records for M&M Industrial Construction LLC, the man’s employer, did not reveal any prior OSHA violations. He noted that the construction company’s administration is cooperating with the investigation. He said that a determination as to fault should be made within a few weeks.
The deceased employee reportedly was married and had two daughters at the time of his death. His family announced that his funeral would be held at Grand Island’s St. Mary’s Cathedral on Friday, Feb. 2.
From crush or decapitating injuries caused by heavy equipment to electrical shocks to falls from ladders or scaffolding, these are just some of the many types of potentially fatal incidents that can occur at construction sites. Whether you’ve suffered permanent injuries or you’ve lost a loved one as a result of an unsafe work site, an Omaha construction accident attorney can advise you of your right to file a lawsuit in your respective case.
Source: 1011 Now, “Federal investigation into fatal Hastings construction accident,” Jan. 31, 2018