DOUGLAS COUNTY, GA — One man was fatally injured after a workplace accident that happened in Douglas County, Georgia on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015. News reports said that the accident happened sometime Wednesday afternoon.
Reports said that one man died when he was exposed to gas and fell from a platform while working at Asphalt Refining and Technology Company on Huey Road. Police believe the victim was helping another worker who was having a cardiac emergency when he was exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas before he fell 20 feet to the ground below.
The man that fell died in as a result of his injuries. Three other people were taken to the hospital after the accident.
Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are currently investigating the accident at this time.
Scene of the Accident
View of the Road
Commentary:
With an accident like this, the first thing to break down is how the hydrogen sulfide gas was vented into an area where unprotected workers are present. Hydrogen sulfide is a highly toxic, corrosive chemical, and the fact that there was a possibility that it had a pathway to people without the proper safety gear is alarming to say the least. Does anybody know how these vents are controlled? Is there a computer system that automatically vents the gas, or did somebody vent it manually somehow? Now, some may say that this was a freak accident, but every day in every state concrete refineries churn on without incident, so what were those other businesses doing that didn’t happen in this one. Additionally, was the other worker’s cardiac problem related to the gas leak? It sounds like we aren’t being told the whole story here.
— Grossman Law Offices
