Ralph Horner, 54, was killed on the job on June 10th at a JBS Greeley, Colorado meat-packing plant. He was working by a conveyer belt which caught his hair and arm, pulling the man into the machine and killing him.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined JBS $45,500 for one repeated and one serious violation of work safety law. For Ralph Horner and his loved ones, however, the citation cannot come close to setting the incident right.
OSHA has looked at JBS’s safety record before. In 2010, the company was slapped with citations for repeated work injury exposure. Workers have suffered crushed hands and fingers, amputation, and blindness as a direct result of unguarded or improperly guarded machines.
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There are ways to work in these sorts of plants that minimize risk and exposure to work-related injuries. However, it is too soon to tell if this tragedy will catalyze systematic change in favor of work safety at JBS.
Workers’ Compensation can be difficult, confusing, and very complex. It’s important that an injured worker has an experienced attorney working on their side- the insurance companies have experienced lawyers on their side too- don’t forget that! If you or a loved one has experienced a work injury, get a FREE consultation from our experienced Colorado workers’ compensation attorneys. We can help you get the benefits you’re entitled to by law. Call us at 303-780-7329.
Source: http://www.denverpost.com/