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Cell tower is site of fatal work injury

On Behalf of | Feb 6, 2014 | Workplace Accidents |

Any kind of work that involves climbing to great heights can potentially be dangerous regardless of safety measures or amount of training. Cell phone towers are a common sight in California and everywhere, as the need arises for more and more towers to accommodate demand. Recently, a cell phone tower became the scene of a fatal work injury incident.

There were two towers at the location, one of them being 300 feet high. There was a smaller tower alongside the larger one. Contractors were on the scene to secure the support of the tower at the time something went terribly wrong. The large tower collapsed and, in doing so, put too much stress on wires connected to the smaller one. The smaller then collapsed also.

There were workers tethered to the large tower as it collapsed. Two contractors were injured and needed medical attention. However, two workers were killed in the incident. One firefighter was walking to the scene of the accident when he was also killed. There was to be an investigation by federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials to determine what happened.

An investigation can help pinpoint a cause and possibly help this industry prevent any future or similar incidents. The workers who were injured are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to help them offset the financial ramifications of suffering a work injury. In California and other states, there are benefits in place for the family members of the workers who died. These benefits can help those left behind deal with medical bills, funeral costs and other expenses from losses related to the death of a loved one.

Source: sfgate.com, W.Va. police: 3 die when cell towers collapse, No author, Feb. 2, 2014

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