Clifton, NJ — Authorities identified Roberto Silva as the man who was injured in an explosion in Clifton, New Jersey, on Friday, February 6, 2015. The accident took place around 7:00 in the morning.
Silva is an employee at AGL Welding, which is located in the 600 block of U.S. 46. The accident happened when Silva and another employee were filling cylinders with oxygen, and the tank they were filling from exploded.
Silva suffered severe burns and was taken to Sr. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center before being taken to the burn unit at St. Barnabas. The other worker, who hasn’t been named, suffered from smoke inhalation.
Officials say it appears that Silva will survive his injuries.
The explosion started a fire that caused Route 46 to be shut down in both directions. Police are currently investigating the accident, as are officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
In an accident like this, you first need to look at what happened, and then identify its cause. In this case, it appears that an oxygen tank exploded. What would cause that? Was the tank cracked? If so, how did that happen? Are these tanks regularly inspected for problems like this? I’m assuming that AGL gets these tanks from an outside supplier. If they received a tank that was defective, then it’s possible that liability for the accident could fall on them. This would open them up a claim from the injured worker. Usually a work accident is going to be handled through an employer’s workers’ comp policy, but that policy isn’t going to extend to a third party, which the supplier would be in this situation.
— Grossman Law Offices
