Arizona residents who work in dangerous fields know that machinery can malfunction, putting workers at risk and wreaking havoc. A lethal chemical or gas may be released into the air subjecting everyone who breathes it in to disease or even death. These work environments are not always the safest, which is why there are laws set up to protect employees who are at constant risk at their jobs.
One work environment wrought with peril is that of a mine. Miners are constantly in danger of collapsing roofs, machinery malfunction, gas leakage and many other hazards. Arizona residents concerned about workplace accidents may be interested to learn of a recent accident that occurred in a mine in a nearby state.
After a worker went missing, a mine foreman tried to find the missing miner before inhaling too much carbon monoxide and passing away. Nineteen other workers inhaled the gas and experienced sickness that required hospital care. The rate of safety violations and injuries at this particular mine was significantly higher than the national average, and the mine is now facing negligence citations. A thorough investigation will ensue.
Tragic injuries or deaths like this that occur on the job sometimes allow victims and their family the opportunity to be awarded a variety of benefits intended to help ease the suffering of those injured or the families of those killed. This is known as workers’ compensation, and anyone eligible has a chance to receive monetary awards that can cover medical expenses and other damages inflicted by work accidents. Attorneys are available to help victims and their families determine what rights they have and what they are owed when a serious or fatal accident occurs on the job.
Source: KNAU Arizona Public Radio, “Details Emerge About Colorado Mine Accident And Safety Record,” Howard Berkes, Nov. 18, 2013
