In San Diego, and elsewhere across the country, workers are protected in the event that they are injured due to a workplace accident or workplace conditions. As such, a New Jersey worker will likely be covered after a horrific job site accident that occurred when the worker was toiling to replace the roof of a metal tubing factory.
While doing so, the worker fell a reported 40 feet through the roof of the factory. The fall alone would be enough to cause serious damage, but to compound the severity of this workplace accident, the construction worker landed — fully submerged — in a vat of nitric acid.
“I had to get him out of there,” reports one of four workers that toiled to remove the victim as quickly as possible. Mixed reports have been received about whether or not an additional worker jumped into the vat to aid in extracting the victim. The fire chief says he did but the possible-hero’s wife contradicts this.
Any work place accident that sends three or more workers to the hospital must be reported to Occupational Safety and Health Administration within eight hours. The victim that fell suffered the most severe injuries of the workers that were sent to the hospital. He is reportedly being treated for a broken rib, a punctured lung and burns from his submersion in the acid.
Once a thorough investigation is completed, and a legal analysis about the cause of the injury has been conducted, the fall victim can work to receive his just compensation. This will likely be in the form of workers’ compensation. This coverage will work to cover the victim’s medical expenses and lost wages. Any worker in San Diego that becomes victim to similar circumstances, or any other workplace injury, may be eligible to receive workers’ comp benefits as well.
Source: Reuters, “NJ Construction Worker Falls Into Tank of Acid,” Andrew chow, May 8, 2012