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Worker electrocuted preparing for home roof repair job

On Behalf of | Sep 30, 2014 | Firm News

One Pennsylvania worker was fatally electrocuted and another injured in a roofing accident that occurred at about 9 a.m. on Sept. 26 in Havertown. The men were employed by a Springfield roofing company to work on a house project on Winton Street.

Havertown police said the accident occurred when an aluminum ladder the men were putting up came into contact with power lines. A 55-year-old man died at the scene; his co-worker, 23, was taken to a University of Pennsylvania hospital where he was said to be in stable condition later that day. OSHA representatives arrived on the scene to investigate the accident and later spoke with the injured man in the hospital.

The Philadelphia Electric Company turned off power to the area, leaving about 1,600 customers without electricity for a couple of hours. The power company also sent its own investigators to the scene.

Pennsylvania offers workers’ compensation benefits to almost all workers who are injured or killed on the job. Workers are required to promptly report their injuries to their employer who must act on the claim and report the injury to the state. Should the claim be denied, the worker has the right to appeal. While Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation laws are complex, an injured worker or survivors of a worker killed on the job may wish to consult with an attorney who can advise them of their rights and possibly be their advocate before the state agency.

Source:Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, “Workers’ Compensation & the Injured Worker”

Source: myFOXphilly.com, “Roofer Killed By Electrocution, Co-Worker Injured”, Dave Scratwieser, September 26, 2014

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