Last week, an employee who worked for the Tribe Mediterranean died in a brutal Massachusetts work accident. The Tribe Mediterranean is a company that manufactures hummus. The employee was killed after his arm got caught in a grinder at the Massachusetts hummus facility. Investigating officers pronounced the worked dead on site. His body was transported by medical personnel to a nearby hospital, according to Mail Online.
“The only information I really have is that he became stuck in a rather large machine, which some people call an auger and others call it a grinder,” said Gregg Miliote, with the Bristol County District Attorney’s office.
Our Boston workers compensation attorneys understand that the demands of common jobs become more and more demanding and dangerous as we continue to turn to automation and machinery for the production of common goods. These demands increase as economic demands increase as well. Machines are oftentimes better equipped to produce more product than manual, human labor. While there are many advantages to using machinery, it can provide some potentially fatal hazards to workers when they’re not treated properly. Machinery requires the implementation of the proper safety measures, procedures and safety devices, including safeguards, to limit the exposure to hazards for employees.
The Massachusetts employee in the accident was cleaning and sanitizing the machinery when it happened. It was his job to keep the work place and the machinery in line with the federal health and safety codes.
Tribe Mediterranean is the second top-selling hummus producer on the market. The factory has been shut down temporarily so that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration can investigate.
The hummus company had just finished an expansion project over the summer that cost nearly $10 million. The expansion had expected to create roughly 60 more job positions. The number of workers after the expansion sits at an estimated 125.
Billions have been handed over as the result of machine-related injuries and fatalities every year. These types of accidents can have devastating and lasting effects on a victim’s life. Employers are urged to utilize safeguards, including safety controllers, interlocked guards and light screens to help to prevent a potentially fatal workplace accident. Make sure that all employees are properly trained to work with the machinery and enact a set of procedures to ensure that daily functions are as smooth and as safe as possible.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, employers are required by federal law to eliminate or to control the hazards presented by dangerous machinery. Oftentimes employers are required to provide compensation for these types of accidents to the victims and/or the victim’s family.
Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers LLC. is a group of experienced and knowledgeable workers’ compensation lawyers who are dedicated to fighting for the rights of those who have been injured because of a work-related accident in Boston and elsewhere throughout Massachusetts. Call (617) 777-7777 for a free consultation if you or a loved one has been injured on the job.
More Blog Entries:
OSHA Fines East Boston Company for Failing to Protect Employees from Work-Related Accidents in New England, Massachusetts Workers Compensation Lawyers Blog, December 15, 2011
OSHA Launches New Program to Help Reduce Risks of Chemical-Related Work Accidents in Massachusetts, Nation, Massachusetts Workers Compensation Lawyers Blog, December 14, 2011