83-Year-Old Seriously Injured in Construction Accident

According to the Holmdel Patch, an 83-year-old man suffered serious injuries including burns after an accident at a work site in Holmdel, New Jersey.

Details of Construction Accident

A man operating an asphalt paver struck a lip between the driveway and the road at the Bell Works site. According to the Holmdel Patch, the machine lifted into the air, tossing the 83-year-old man onto the freshly placed asphalt. The man was then trapped between the asphalt and the paving machine.

A co-worker was able to stop the machine and remove the elderly man from the pavement before authorities arrived.

The man received treatment for serious injuries and burns at the Jersey Shore Medical Center, and later was taken to the Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.

The Traffic Safety Unit is currently investigating the construction incident, reports the Holmdel Patch.

Workplace Accident Statistics

The follow 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 construction.
• Electrocution claimed the lives of 74 construction workers in 2014. 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.