Bowdoin Excavation Inc. in North Yarmouth has been cited numerous times by the Occupational Safety & Heath Administration (OSHA) for violations that were reportedly connected to the fatal Bangor construction accident that killed a 23-year-old employee. We recently told you about this accident on our Maine Injury Lawyer Blog. Now OSHA is taking charge of the incident to help make sure that nothing like this happens again and that all involved parties are properly reprimanded.According to OSHA, the company was issued nearly $14,000 in fines because it failed to meet the administration’s safety standards. Some of the violations were for using construction equipment on unsafe access roadways and for failing to use protective equipment, according to Mainebiz.
Our Portland personal injury attorneys understand that the young worker was run over by a backhoe as he was working at one of the company’s work sites in Bangor. It all happened as the vehicle rolled down a small hill. Reports indicate that the employee was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, but the operator of the backhoe was not wearing a seat belt. The seat belt fine totaled more than $4,000. Nearly $2,000 in fines were handed to the company for using a web sling that was damaged, another $1,800 fine for failing to put a ladder in a trench, and more than $4,000 for using a backhoe on a slope that was considered too steep.
The company is not planning on contesting these violations. Company representatives claim that all employees and machine operators were up to date with their training and certificates. The accident is still being investigated by OSHA.
“This is something we take very seriously,” said Tricia Bowdoin, office manager and the wife of the company’s owner. “Our employees are our company.”
In the United States, there were more than 4,500 fatalities resulting from on-the-job accidents in 2010. The number one cause of these deaths was transportation-related accidents. Highway-related deaths accounted for more than 20 percent of the 2010 fatalities. Workplace homicides accounted for slightly more than 10 percent, falls accounted for nearly 15 percent, and getting struck by an object accounted for about 9 percent of fatal work accidents.
Construction accidents killed nearly 800 workers in 2010, accounting for nearly 20 percent of work-related fatalities. More than 10 percent of construction workers who were killed in 2010 were killed in highway-related accidents. Homicides accounted for only 1 percent of the fatalities in this industry. Nearly 40 percent were from falls, and another 8 percent were from workers being hit by objects.
Although OSHA continues to push for better workplace safety, the number of fatal work accidents in Maine increased 20 percent in 2010 compared to 2009 — from 16 to 19 deaths — according to the United States Department of Labor.
The personal injury lawyers at Peter Thompson & Associates are dedicated to fighting for victims and their families in Bangor or Portland. If you or a loved one has been injured on the job, call for a no obligation appointment to discuss your claim at 1-800-804-2004.
More Blog Entries:
Preliminary Results Reveal Dangers of Fatal Work Accidents in Maine, Nation
September 19, 2011
Workers’ compensation injuries and personal injury claims
October 22, 2010