Construction Worker Dies After Machinery Topples into Canal

According to the Palm Beach Post, a front-end loader operator was killed on the job when the machine fell into a canal in Loxahatchee, Florida, on Monday morning.

Details of Construction Accident

Peter Kubeck, 48, was operating a front-end loader near the canal off of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road near Seminole Ridge High School. Officials say the loader slid down the canal bank and flipped upside-down into the water.

The workplace accident occurred at around 9:00 a.m. local time, reports the Palm Beach Post, but rescue crews were initially unable to locate the construction worker. After an extensive search, divers found Kubeck and transported him to Palms West Hospital. He would be pronounced dead on arrival.

Kubeck’s cause of death is not yet known, according to the Palm Beach Post. It is also unclear how long the construction worker was in the water.

On the Job Accident Statistics

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),

• In 2014, 4,821 workers died on the job.
  • On average, more than 92 workers died every week.
• Out of 4,386 worker fatalities in the private industry in 2014, 899 died in construction accidents.
  • 39 out of the 899 (4.3%) deaths were due to a worker being caught-in/between equipment or an object.
• The leading cause of private sector worker deaths in the construction industry is falls (39.9%).