Articles Posted in Boston Work Accidents

Food trucks have gained popularity in recent years. While food trucks have been commonly seen at construction sites and outside of factories for decades, these days they feature more gourmet food items and have become very trendy.

However, with increased popularity comes heightened risk for criminal activity.  We have seen various cases where the trucks were burglarized or even stolen entirely, and we have also seen incidents where food truck owners and employees have been robbed. These are largely cash-based businesses, so it is not hard to see why this is a significant threat. Continue reading

According to the Boston Globe, a worker at the distribution center of a major Boston area supermarket chain was killed in an on-the-job accident. The accident occurred during the early morning hours on the loading dock of the facility, and the worker was 51-years-old at the time of his death.

Authorities say he was working on the loading dock when the tractor-trailer on which he was standing started to move away from the loading dock without warning. The worker ended up falling between the newly created gap between the loading dock and where the truck once was.  Not only did he fall down to the ground, a full size forklift that was also on the loading dock fell off and landed on the worker, killing him instantly.  Continue reading

According to a recent news article from 12 WSFA, three workers were drilling a water well when they accidentally hit a pocket of natural gas that resulted in a major explosion.  This was a pocket of naturally occurring methane gas that was trapped underground until it was violently released by the workers’ drilling equipment.

Authorities say the freed methane gas became ignited under pressure, and that resulted in a large explosion.  The three workers were burned in the accident.  When paramedics arrived on the scene, they treated the workers’ burn injuries at the site of the explosion and then transported them to a local level-one trauma center for further care and treatment.  Continue reading

According to a recent news report from the Boston Globe, a worker was killed in Braintree while he was diving to inspect an enormous water tank with his son nearby.  The tank is four stories high and was filled with freezing cold water at the time of the incident.

Authorities report the man was hired to inspect this huge water tank and was inside of it that morning when he reported to others on the site that he was having trouble with his air supply.  This was around 10 a.m.  This communication was he last. He thereafter lost contact  with workers on the surface, who were the last to see him alive. Continue reading

In 2001, the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) first rolled out major updates to Bloodborne Pathogens Standards.  This was created by enabling legislation from the 2000 Needestick Safety and Prevention Act.  This was actually a watershed moment for workers, as it was one of the rare times in recent history that Congress unanimously passed any legislative act, especially one involving worker safety.

The act, as the name implies, was created to cut down on the number of accidental needle sticks among healthcare workers that could, and often would, result in unnecessary exposure to blood and bloodborne pathogens and the spread of disease to these brave health care employees working on the front lines. Continue reading

Working in construction is one of the more dangerous occupations in the United States.  There are so many different ways one could be injured.  We typically see cases where construction workers are injured in fall accidents, power tool accidents, heavy equipment accidents, and various other types of accidents.

According to a recent news article from The Patriot Ledger, a worker in Weymouth, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston, was injured when a nail gun slid off the roof and hit him in the head.  While this type of injury is often portrayed in comedies as resulting in pain, but little if any actual injury, in reality, this is a very serious, and potentially deadly, on-the-job accident. In this case, the worker suffered a serious head injury. Continue reading