Certain work environments lend greater risks to employees. Workers that tend to their jobs with power tools, heavy objects or anything else that could potentially cause them harm in an accident must mind safety precautions. On the other side of the coin, employers are responsible for looking out for the well being of their employees, providing proper training and putting appropriate safety perimeters in place to avoid seeing a worker hurt on the job.
Those that work in the auto repair industry are constantly surrounded by heavy objects and powerful tools. The reality of these hazards recently struck for Brunswick Auto Repair in Knoxville, Md., when one of the company’s workers died from injuries sustained on the job.
The 39-year-old man was working at the shop during the morning hours one day. He was filling the tire of a tractor with air. However, this seemingly hazard-free chore turned deadly when the tire suddenly exploded and hit the man. A detective with Maryland State Police said that he expects the tire was overinflated.
When help arrived on the scene, the man was already dead. The owner of the auto repair shop could not even get himself to talk to media members because he was too emotional. One woman, who worked with the man for several years, said that the victim was viewed as less of an employee and more like a family member.
The Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Department is investigating the incident in addition to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. As far as criminal charges, police said charges are unlikely.
The subsequent investigation will determine whether the accident could have been avoided or if it was purely a freak occurrence. If the shop’s owner did not have safety measures or training in place that instructed staff not to overinflate tires, the victim’s family could tempt the idea of a pursuing a civil lawsuit for the company’s negligence.