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Certain workplaces are more dangerous than others. For instance, since many Maryland industrial workers are around powerful machinery, they may be more likely to incur a serious injury than a worker who never comes into contact with machinery.
For one industrial worker, an accident at work earlier this week could impact the types of jobs he is capable of performing for the rest of his life. This 22-year-old New Jersey man works at a recycling facility. He got his hand stuck in a feeder when he was reportedly trying to remove a piece of cardboard that was stuck in a conveyer belt. This young man was immediately taken to a nearby hospital for surgery.
He reportedly severed six fingers in the incident-four on his right hand and two on his left hand. Even with immediate medical care, this man will likely struggle for the rest of his life as a result of losing six fingers. Many tasks that he could previously do without any difficulty will now be quite challenging. In addition to difficulties performing daily tasks, this man might have a hard time finding work.
A report indicates that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration began investigating the incident at the recycling facility. This recycling facility has allegedly violated safety regulations for years. According to one report, OSHA has found 28 violations since 2009 at this recycling facility.
It is unclear at this point whether this facility could have done something differently to prevent this tragic accident. If the recycling facility could have created a safer work environment, the injured employee might be able to file a workers’ compensation suit against the recycling facility.