According to Delaware Online, a construction worker suffered massive leg injuries requiring amputation following an industrial accident in Middletown, Delaware, on Thursday morning.
OSHA Investigating Workplace Accident
The 40-year-old construction company employee was in the area of South Scott Street and Priscilla Street at around 9:45 a.m. local time when the accident occurred. Police say the man walked into the path of a milling machine, sustaining damage to one of his legs.
The man, employed by Cirillo Brothers, Inc., was airlifted to Christiana Hospital for treatment. According to Delaware Online, the construction worker’s injuries were serious but not life-threatening.
In a later statement, police said the man required amputation of one of his legs from the knee down. Delaware Online reports that the man remains hospitalized in stable but critical condition. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigation the incident.
On the Job Accident Statistics
The following information is provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):
- 4,821 workers died on the job in 2014.
- 899 of these fatalities were in the construction industry.
- The “Fatal Four” leading causes of private sector worker deaths are:
- Falls – 359 out of 899 total deaths in construction in 2014 (39.9%)
- Electrocutions – 74 (8.2%)
- Struck by Object – 73 (8.1%)
- Caught-in/between – 39 (4.3%)
- Eliminating the “Fatal Four” would save approximately 545 workers’ lives every year.
