Shollenberger Januzzi & Wolfe, LLP

Workplace Accidents

4 hidden workplace hazards

Many workplace hazards are immediately apparent: power tools, heavy machinery, toxic chemicals and other risks. However, other risks may go unnoticed in a workplace. What hidden workplace hazards should you be aware of? 1. Sedentary work While many might think that workers who do not perform heavy lifting, work with...

Loading dock injuries: what should workers know?

Warehouses and production facilities alike depend on the workers who unload supplies and load completed products onto trucks for shipment. However, these workers can experience a wide variety of injuries as part of their work. What injuries might workers experience when loading or unloading cargo? Heavy lifting can lead to...

Three accidents that warehouse workers see daily

Most people have negative connotations with Amazon warehouses due to the countless headlines surrounding employees’ treatments and injuries across the United States. However, most people underestimate exactly how many accidents happen on the warehouse floor. Between dangerous equipment, shifting work environments and distracted co-workers, accidents happen almost every day. Some...

Amazon warehouses have more injuries than industry standards

A recent investigation found Amazon warehouse employees are experiencing severe injuries, especially in the Fresno fulfillment center in California. The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates over 300 work-related injuries at one warehouse – almost triple the national warehouse industry standards. According to Lake County Record-Bee, the Fresno center...

Falls are common on construction sites

Construction work is in full swing in the summer months across Pennsylvania. While construction workers face hazards every day, one of the most consistent and severe risks is falling. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry. In...

Pennsylvania worker killed by falling shed

A Pennsylvania woman was killed when a temporary shed fell on top of her. According to U.S. News & World Report, a woman and her male coworker were smoking in the temporary structure, when the wind caught the hut and toppled it over on top of them on Feb. 8....

Workers put in harm’s way

Some jobs force workers to place themselves in vulnerable positions. Some of these jobs, including law enforcement, firefighting and construction, are well known for the hazards faced by workers. Others carry similar, or even greater levels of risk, but are not recognized as dangerous by the public. One such jog...

Industrial fires: Top 5 contributing factors

Industrial fires and explosions are a major risk at worksites across the country. Warehouses, processing plants, mills and the like are fraught with fire hazards. Although detailed safety regulations are designed to prevent tragic fires, they still happen with unfortunate regularity. Nationwide, there are more than 35,000 industrial fires each...

Safety is a big issue for coal miners

In less than a year, there have been over 1,100 non-fatal accidents and 8 deaths in coal mines across the United States, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Pennsylvania has some of the highest rates of injury. These figures point to the troubling fact that mining workers...

3 tips for staying safe around forklifts

Semitrucks, cranes and other heavy machinery come with obvious dangers. Their sheer size and power provide a constant reminder of their risks. By contrast, it’s easy to forget that the humble forklift can be incredibly dangerous. In fact, every year, nearly 100,000 workers nationwide suffer injuries from forklift accidents. Because...

Deadliest jobs: Is yours one of them?

All lines of work involve hazards to one degree or another. For some, though, the risk of injury or death is far greater than others. According to Time Magazine, the following are among the top 25 most dangerous jobs in the United States, measured by fatality rate: Construction workers: It’s...

6 dangers steel workers face every day

Steel workers often have to endure exhausting hours, strenuous conditions and constant perils. Whether at mills or construction sites, steel workers face a wide range of risks that factor into their everyday duties. The International Labour Organization’s Code of Practice on Safety and Health in the Iron and Steel Industry identifies...

Tired workers cause more accidents

The National Sleep Foundation has conducted studies that show that workplace accidents, including those in the industrial sector, could be caused by workers who are too tired. According to those studies, a worker who is highly sleepy could be up to 70 percent more likely to find himself or herself...

Young workers have rights, too

Workers who are still minors—under the age of 18—are allowed to work in many situations, even though there are stipulations regarding the hours they can work and what industries they can work in. It’s important for these younger workers to know that they also have rights if they are injured...

Cellphones can directly cause workplace accidents

Cellphones can be very useful tools in the workplace, but they can also be very dangerous distractions. It is estimated that 3,000,000,000 text messages are sent out each and every day. More and more often, people are using mobile devices so that they can send and receive these messages while...

The law protects you from retaliation

Do you think your workplace is unsafe, but are you scared to speak up? Maybe you don’t want to be seen as a complainer, or maybe you’re afraid that your boss will retaliate in some way if you say what’s on your mind. If you think that a complaint needs...

Another road worker injured when struck by vehicle

Like other states, Pennsylvania sees more than its fair share of workplace accidents involving motorists. Usually, these accidents impact road maintenance and road construction workers, who must perform their jobs on the state’s busy roads. Last month, at least one road worker suffered injuries in a motorist involved accident, and...

Industrial workplace safety: Going beyond the basics

Pennsylvania residents understand the employee risks inherent in the state’s rich industrial landscape. The mining industry in particular is often fraught with hazards due to the challenging locations where these resources are found. While mining and other industries remain crucial to the economical vitality of Pennsylvania, workplace safety should never...

Low visibility possible factor in sanitation worker’s death

Benefits are available for Harrisburg employees who are injured on the job. Workers’ compensation benefits, provided by employer-paid insurance, cover medical costs and wage losses for workplace accident victims. Benefits are also available for immediate family members when a loved one suffers a fatal job-related injury. A Pennsylvania sanitation worker...

Little things that can help reduce workplace accidents

Workplace accidents may happen suddenly, but they’re not always that surprising. Often, when looking at things retrospectively, it’s easy for people in Pennsylvania to see why the accidents happened. Looking at these things in advance helps employers and workers alike avoid accidents. Poor Lighting People who are forced to work...

Some workplace accidents can be prevented

Pennsylvania can be a busy place. In a typical workday, thousands of people are working hard to meet deadlines or quotas and simply catch up to themselves. Working at such paces has its advantages such as bigger paychecks, promotions and even feelings of accomplishments. It can also have a very...

Pennsylvania industries among most dangerous jobs

As the nation’s population continues to grow, so does the amount of workers needed to service and supply the people. While this means more much-needed jobs become available, it also means the possibility of more work-related accidents. Pennsylvania’s bounty of natural resources provides almost endless possibilities for employment in our...

Job-related vehicle accident risk factors for young people

The youth of today fill an important role in the Pennsylvania workplace. From working in simple delivery jobs to more sophisticated mining and agricultural careers, young people keep the busy world in motion. Driving is one of the most common duties assigned to members of the workforce younger than 25...

How dangerous are forklifts in industrial settings?

If you look around at several different industrial facilities or job locations, what is the one thing you will likely find at each of them? The answer is a forklift of some type, and you will probably see more than one. Like other equipment or machinery, forklifts can indeed be...

Falling remains a major factor in workplace accidents

Despite decades of widespread education about the dangers of falls in the workplace, falling remains one of the top reasons for workplace accidents. While the construction industry remains the primary industry in which fatal falls occur, the risk is present in nearly all other industries as well. Even workplace tasks...

Accidents in Pennsylvania’s industrial workforce

By their very nature, industrial companies throughout Pennsylvania are the sites of worker accidents from time to time. From manufacturing to the chemical industry to warehouse careers, these jobs can be dangerous to those who do the heavy lifting and other types of work. While workers’ compensation is an enormous...

Road worker killed on Route 22 in Pennsylvania

According to police, a road construction worker was killed by a utility vehicle on Route 22 in Hanover Township on April 9. The accident occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. The victim, a 43-year-old Connellsville man, was part of a construction crew working to repair a guardrail near Burgettstown that had...

Pennsylvania explosion injures worker

A Feb. 15 accident has led to the injury of one worker in Derry Township. The incident reportedly occurred after 5 p.m. An explosion at a natural gas company building resulted in a fire, which apparently led to burns to the arms and face of the worker. Officials indicate that...

The dangers of working in trenches

Workers in Pennsylvania who excavate or dig trenches can be killed or suffer serious injuries if the trench wall collapses. These accidents often occur without warning, and workers are given little or no time to escape the danger. With a cubic yard of dirt weighing over 3,000 pounds, even small...

Bucks County silo collapse turned into recovery effort

Authorities on the scene of a Bucks County silo collapse reported that their initial search and rescue effort turned into a recovery effort. After six hours of searching for a worker trapped by the falling debris, authorities indicated the man was then presumed dead. The accident happened on Jan. 8...

Reducing risks when operating heavy machinery

Most Pennsylvania construction workers know that working around and operating heavy machinery is inherently dangerous. With more than 150,000 reported injuries and 800 deaths nationwide in 2013 alone, it is important that both employers and employees take safety precautions seriously. One of the easiest ways to reduce construction work injuries...

Preventing falls at the workplace

Pennsylvania workers may benefit from learning more about how to prevent falls, as described by material published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. According to OSHA, employees should be wearing the appropriate protection when working at least four above ground in general industry or at least six feet high...

Scaffold malfunction leaves workers stranded mid-air

The new World Trade Center officially opened the week before this workplace incident, though it had been in use since June, authorities said. The two window washers were working on the south side of the building when one of the four cables supporting their scaffold gave way. Immediately following the...

2012 workplace fatality statistics in Pennsylvania

According to the regional commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 163 workplace injuries that proved fatal in Pennsylvania in 2012. She also stated that even though that is a preliminary count, the numbers had declined over the 2011 count by 23. The highest number was in...

Ammonia leak at brewery sends 1 person to the hospital

An old Pennsylvania brewery was evacuated after an explosion on Aug. 13 that injured one person. The explosion took place at the Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre, an establishment that was founded in 1905 and is one of the longest-running breweries in the state. According to a statement from the Luzerne...

Oil tank explodes, causes minor injuries to worker

A crude oil tank exploded when it was cut with a large-scale circular saw at a Pennsylvania recycling facility. The worker who was making the cut suffered minor injuries in the workplace accident. The explosion took place on Aug. 5 around 11:20 a.m. No other injuries were reported in connection...

Temp worker’s death prompts scrutiny

A Pennsylvania temp worker was killed in a sugar plant accident in February 2013 in Fairless Hills. The man was breaking up clumps in a sugar hopper when he slid into it and was killed by suffocation. The sugar plant had initially had a safety screen in the hopper, but...

Worker killed in explosion at GM facility

One worker was killed and eight others were hospitalized after an explosion that occurred in a General Motors plant on July 2. Quaker Chemical Corp., a Pennsylvania-based chemical manufacturer that provides contract services at the plant, announced that the decedent was one of its employees. The incident occurred at the...

Death of Amazon temp worker prompts OSHA citations

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ preliminary data shows that in 2012 alone, temporary workers and contractors were involved in 708 fatalities, which is 16 percent of that year’s workplace fatality total. A 57-year-old man who was working for a staffing agency contracted by a Pennsylvania-based logistics provider was killed...

Lack of safety precautions leads to worker’s death

Pennsylvania workers know that following safety precautions in the workplace is essential. A 28-year-old man in a Massachusetts facility was never trained in procedures that might have saved his life. The company had been cited by federal safety inspectors for not following safety protocol. The young man died while trying...

Pennsylvania man killed in construction site accident

A 32-year-old Pennsylvania man died while working on a sewer installation project on May 6. The construction accident occurred in Somerset County southeast of Pittsburgh. The construction work was part of a project to provide the small town of Ursina with its first sewer system. The construction work involved lowering...

Pennsylvania man survives work-related chainsaw accident

A professional tree cutter was removing a tree when the chainsaw he was using struck his shoulder and embedded itself in his neck. He had been attempting to cut around power lines at the time of the accident. A co-worker assisted the man until EMTs arrived on the scene. Although...

2 Pennsylvanians injured in roof collapse

Two Pennsylvania workers suffered injuries in an accident in Cambrian County. The construction accident occurred at a Hampton Inn in Richland Township on Wednesday, March 26 at around 10:30 a.m. as the two men were trying to repair a carport ceiling that had been damaged by seasonal weather. While the...

Families workers killed by explosion to receive compensation

When a residential water heater used in lieu of a commercial boiler exploded in a plastics factory in 2009, two people were killed. The former manager of the Solus Industrial Innovations plant and the maintenance supervisor for the facility were charged with felonies related to the workplace accident. On Feb....

3 homes burnt after suspected gas explosion

A fire damaged three homes in a south Philadelphia neighborhood on Jan. 30, injuring two employees of Philadelphia Gas Works. It is suspected that the fire was caused by a leaking gas line, which may have led to an explosion around 7:30 p.m. However, at the time of the report,...

Pennsylvania worker killed by falling electrical box

According to a York County deputy coroner, a one- to two-ton electrical box fell on and killed an Adams County electrician on Jan. 20. The workplace accident occurred at a water authority pumping facility that is undergoing expansion in Windsor Township. According to police, the worker was attempting to move...

Worker burned at metal plant

A Pennsylvania worker was injured and transported to a care facility when his clothing caught fire as he was warming himself and got too close to an open flame portable propane heater. His co-workers helped to put out the flames by rolling him on the ground and using a fire...

Worker crushed to death in trucking accident

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is looking into the cause of an industrial accident at a Pennsylvania trucking company that claimed a man’s life in late December. The fatal workplace accident occurred on the morning of Monday, Dec. 30, 2013. A representative of the local police department said...

Worker injured by an explosion at Pennsylvania plant

A worker at the Wolfe Dye & Bleach Works Inc. in Perry Township suffered injuries as a result of an explosion that occurred on Dec. 21 sometime after 1 p.m. After the workplace accident, the 47-year-old man fled the scene and crossed Route 61, where a motorist pulled over and...

Colorado miners killed, sick from mining accident

Pennsylvania workers may be subjected to dangerous working conditions due to the large amount of factories and associated industrial accidents. However, a recent mining accident in Colorado was the site of the latest large-scale workplace accident. The mining accident occurred in southwestern Colorado. The Ouray County Sheriff’s Office received an...

Government shutdown severely hampers OSHA

Workers in Pennsylvania who perform dangerous jobs may be especially concerned about the government shutdown which began on Oct. 1. The investigation of workplace accidents by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, has all but shut down, with 90 percent of the agency’s inspectors furloughed. Manpower levels are...

Subcontractor files lawsuit after on-the-job accident

A Philadelphia worker filed a lawsuit on Sept. 23 after he was injured on the job and broke his arm while working as a subcontractor when items on a forklift fell off onto him. The construction accident happened as he worked on a commercial loading dock on April 30. His...

Pennsylvania man killed in mining accident

A Pennsylvania man who had been working in Pennsylvania as a mechanic for a mining company was identified by the state police and the U.S. Mine and Safety Health Administration. According to the report, the workplace accident occurred when the man was crushed between a tire and a truck’s frame...

Tree-trimmer dies after striking high-voltage power line

A 42-year-old Pennsylvania man was killed while trimming tree branches for a subcontractor of PPL Electric Utilities. His job included scaling a ladder in order to trim branches growing too close to a high-voltage power line. At the time of his fatal workplace accident, he was trimming trees in preparation...

Miners Injured in Pennsylvanian Mine Collapse

A mine collapse in Western Pennsylvania on June 24 has reportedly left two miners injured. The mine collapse and workplace accident was reported by authorities to be a partial ceiling collapse that took place in a coal mine that was located approximately 40 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The collapse was...

Building collapse fatal for 2 Salvation Army employees

The collapse of a building onto a Pennsylvania Salvation Army thrift store on June 5 has led to the death of two Salvation Army employees. A neighboring four-floor Philadelphia building on Market Street was scheduled for demolition, but a construction accident caused it to collapse sideways and trap workers and...

Pennsylvania excavating company cited by OSHA

A Pennsylvania excavating company has been cited by OSHA with 12 safety violations after two inspections were conducted following the discovery of unsupervised trenches. The violations involved trenching hazards that have the potential to cause serious workplace accidents. Two of the alleged willful violations involved failing to provide a protective...

Pennsylvania worker injured in hit-and-run accident

During morning rush hour in the Liberty Tunnels in Pittsburgh on March 14, a vehicle hit a worker for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, or PennDOT. The vehicle had moved into the traffic around a single-vehicle accident inside the tunnels. The driver who hit the worker immediately fled the crime...

Saylorsburg woman sues manufacturers of garage door after injury

A former support manager at the Stroudsburg location of PetSmart is suing two Pennsylvania-based garage door manufacturers over injuries she sustained nearly two years ago while on the job. The workplace accident resulted in several serious injuries to the woman. The incident took place back on July 27, 2011 when...

Vat fall kills Philly sugar plant employee

According to authorities, a New Jersey resident working at a sugar processing facility in the Philadelphia suburbs fell into a vat and died after an unknown period of time. Although none of the man’s coworkers actually witnessed the accident, it was reported that he had previously been observed attempting to...

Defendants claim protection in Pa. workplace accident suit

An individual injured by a crane at the Fairless Hills U-Haul factory brought allegations of negligence leading to an unsafe working environment against four related defendants. The injury occurred in March of 2012 when a crane fell on the worker and caused several serious injuries, including disc injuries and spinal...

Shale industry fraught with health challenges

Business is booming in some Pennsylvania towns where hydraulic fracturing, known as “fracking,” for oil and natural gas has increased the population. However, along with the increased growth comes increased problems related to workplace accidents and health issues. Job-related illnesses, mental health issues and other physical work-related problems can take...

Family man falls to his death in Pennsylvania work accident

This holiday, a Pennsylvania family and community will mourn the loss of a loved one. Last week, a 31-year-old man was working in a water tower when terror ensued. Somehow, the worker fell a significant distance and sustained fatal injuries in the workplace accident. According to reports, the rescue attempt...

Opinion piece challenges Wal-Mart’s care for worker safety

Because most people who read this blog or news in general likely don’t follow Bangladesh news, readers might not know of a tragic fire that took place in a warehouse in Bangladesh last weekend. More than 100 workers reportedly died in the fatal workplace accident. The faraway tragedy does have...

Experienced worker killed in tuna canning accident

Many people know and love their Bumble Bee Tuna. What they tend to forget is the work that goes into canning their favorite lunchtime protein. A 62-year-old man, a father of six, had worked canning in the tuna plant for several years before he recently died in an unthinkable way....

An average of 13 people die on the job each day

It seems like a staggering statistic when broken down by day. An average of 13 workers lose their lives while working each day. That is thirteen people who leave for work in the morning only to never come home. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis made a statement last week...

Most deadly professions involve driving

When people are asked to think about the most dangerous jobs they might think about jobs like firefighters or those that involve heavy machinery. Although those professions do have risks, it turns out that more sales reps and truck drivers are killed while working. This is because sales reps that...

Report Reveals High Number of Youths Injured at Work

When most Americans consider the issue of workplace injuries, they imagine adults getting injured while on the job. Child labor issues rarely receive much attention in the U.S. Every year, however, many young people die or are injured in workplace accidents. A recent report points to poorly regulated workplaces as...

The Most Deadly Jobs in America

For many employees a hard day at the office may include long meetings or looming deadlines. These stressors seem very minor, however, compared to workers who put their bodies and lives on the line every day at work. Of the top ten most hazardous jobs in the country some are...

Slow OSHA results spark criticism from Senate officials

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has come under fire recently because of the length of time it takes to approve new safety rules. According to government officials, OSHA averaged about eight years before making the regulations official, which is roughly twice as long as the Transportation Department and 50...

OSHA Criticized for Delays in Issuing Workplace Safety Rules

People may expect that government entities move slowly when adopting new rules. Even so, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) takes more time than most government agencies when issuing new regulations. On average it takes OSHA almost eight years to adopt a new safety regulation, and during that time...

Work accident leaves man pinned between two trucks

When there are workplace hazards, employees can get seriously hurt or even killed. This was the case when a 19-year-old man died after getting crushed between a tractor trailer and a flatbed trailer in a workplace accident. Responders who arrived at the accident found the man on the ground with...

Several Pennsylvania Lowe’s stores cited for unsafe work environment

Being injured on-the-job can cause a number of problems for a worker. In addition to the physical implications, there are financial considerations as well. When a work accident occurs, an injured worker can seek workers’ compensation benefits. Recently several Lowe’s stores were cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration....

Hershey student workers protest dangerous work conditions

Each year, hundreds of thousands of J-1 visas are available for overseas students to visit the United States. The program was designed in an effort to promote America to foreign students. The original intention was a cultural exchange program in which the foreign students would learn English and travel. However,...

Fatal Explosion in Pennsylvania Leads to OSHA Investigation

Depending on the job, workplace injuries can be severe and sometimes even fatal. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates employers to ensure that work environments are safe and up to health standards. Failure to comply with OSHA regulations can result in violations and citations. In a recent news...

Worker Injured and Three Killed in Plant Explosion

Previous incidents involving metal dust explosions at chemical plants in Pennsylvania have been investigated by the Chemical Safety Board (CSB). Recently, an explosion at a similar chemical plant in a neighboring state left three dead and another seriously injured in a workplace accident. According to the article, there is little...