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A 25-year-old man working in Severn was killed when the trench he was in collapsed. The accident reportedly occurred during the morning hours on August 19th. The man was apparently buried alive and it took more than three hours for Ann Arundel and Howard County officials to recover this individual’s body.
The construction worker was part of a work crew digging a hole approximately seven feet deep. The hole was being dug so that a deck could be constructed for a nearby home. Though the deceased man’s identity was not immediately revealed, the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration were in the process of investigating the incident.
Though OSHA or other safety violation fines may provide incentives for employers to improve safety, these fines do little to help workers after accidents have already occurred. Workers’ Compensation laws, on the other hand, are put in place to help workers and their families. However, these laws are complex and often require an attorney to explain the manner that these regulations should be applied.
Unfortunately, there is no shortage of construction accidents. These accidents can happen in many ways, but the most important cause generally concerns unsafe working conditions.
Shortsightedness on the part of construction companies sometimes contributes to these sorts of accidents occurring. Companies may even decide safety measures are too costly to implement. However, these same businesses fail to take into account the costs that can be associated with a worker’s injury or death.
Keeping workers safe benefits everyone. Those employers that do not provide safe equipment and working conditions need to compensate construction workers that are injured.