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Worker Fatally Crushed At Pennsylvania Mushroom Plant

Workplace accidents are far too common in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Many times, dangerous workplaces are to blame. When this is the case, the injured workers or their families are sometimes able to bring personal injury lawsuits against the employer or a negligent third party.

An industrial accident at a mushroom processing plant in Avondale, Pennsylvania, took the life of a 40-year-old Pennsylvania man this month. Officials said that the accident occurred when a 700-pound hay bale fell and crushed the worker.

Apparently, the hay bales are used to make compost for mushroom-growing, and the worker had worked with them several times in the past during his two-year tenure with the company.

A spokesman for the company said it appeared that the worker had untied a rope holding two bales stacked together, and when he walked around to the other side of the bales, the top bale fell on top of him.

The company spokesman said that a co-worker who had been assisting the victim left just before the accident to get a knife for breaking up the bales. When the co-worker returned, he discovered the victim and alerted the owner of the business.

According to the spokesman, the company has never experienced a serious work-related accident of any sort in more than 40 years of operation. The company is family-owned and operated, and employs 100 employees.

The state police along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the accident scene. Both will look for dangerous conditions that may have contributed to the accident. If dangerous conditions exist, the company could face a personal injury lawsuit and fines by OSHA.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, “Crushed mushroom worker identified,” Kathleen Brady, Jan. 19, 2012