Tate, GA — A man was killed in a work-related accident in Tate, Georgia, when an estimated 7,000 pounds of marble fell on top of him on Tuesday, January 13, 2015. The accident happened at Georgia Marble.
Police identified the worker who was killed as 28-year old Kevin Voyles. Voyles was working in a part of the company’s facility where marble is taken and cut into counter tops when the accident occurred. It was these marble slabs that fell on top of him.
It’s not clear why the marble fell on top of Voyles. New reports say that representatives from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are on the scene to investigate the accident. However, they haven’t been able to release any new information on what may have caused it.
No other employees were injured in the accident. The investigation is ongoing.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Reports say that the victim had more than three tons of marble fall on top of him. While details are pretty few and far between, I’m going to assume that the marble was being held up on some sort of stand or platform. Marble cutting isn’t my business, but I’m going to assume that something like that collapsing and spilling thousands of pounds of rock all over anyone standing below it is not the way it’s supposed to work. If this accident happened because of a defective piece of equipment, it’s possible that the manufacturer could be held at fault. This is something a private investigation would be perfect for. I know that OSHA has been notified of the accident and is conducting their own investigation — as federally mandated — but an OSHA investigation is geared more toward whether or not any workplace safety violations occurred. They’re more concerned with the how and not the why. And in all the workplace accidents I’ve seen where someone was seriously hurt or killed, why an accident happened is the biggest question victims and their families have.
— Grossman Law Offices