Construction sites can be dangerous - not only to the public, but also to workers. That is why there are usually safety precautions put in place, such as retaining walls and roped-off areas. Nevertheless, accidents still occur. At Texas A&M, an employee fell four stories from a construction area at Kyle Field.
A $450 million renovation has been going on at Kyle Field to allow more seating at the stadium. The G. Rollie White Coliseum was being completely demolished in preparation for a new and much larger one to be constructed in its place. The construction site was also equipped with active webcams that were to be viewable to the public during the renovations; however, they have been taken offline since the accident on Tuesday.
The employee worked for Lindamood Demolition. He apparently slipped and fell from a landing four stories up around 11:00 a.m. The injured worker passed away after being transported to St Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan. He was 25 years old.
The police are still investigating the accident, as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It appears to just be an accident, but OSHA may still issue violations for other nonrelevant items. While they are required to investigate any worksite accidents where a fatality has occurred, they often write violations that have nothing to do with the accident. An attorney familiar with OSHA violations and their severities should be present to assist the OSHA inspector in answering any questions that might help them determine any substantial violations or defer any non-creditable violations.
OSHA violations can result in expensive fines to a company, which makes it all the more important to ensure that any violations are credible and not inflated. They are not only costly to a company, but they can also ruin the reputation of a company. Violations can be appealed if an employer believes they are not credible. An attorney may be able to get the violations dismissed or the severity reduced.
Source: chron.com, "Worker falls four stories to his death at Kyle Field construction site" Craig Hlavaty, Dec. 03, 2013
