The terrible workplace accident took place around 1:30 in the morning on Tuesday of this week at the Resolute Forest Products plant in Catawba. The plant is located along Highway 5 near the Lancaster County, border.
Emergency Management officials in the county told WBTV that three contractors were doing maintenance on a decommissioned tank outside the main production area when an accident happened. The official said he believes that some type of chemical leaked into the tank while the men were still inside of it.
Two of the men were able to escape the tank but the third man was not so lucky and died. One of the two who escaped suffered serious injuries and had to be taken to a local hospital to receive treatment.
An investigation of the plant and the accident have been turned over to the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Department. Local law enforcement officials will help in the Department of Labor’s investigation and in piecing together what exactly went wrong.
The same plant saw a serious injury back in May of last year when a worker was severely burned and three others were injured after a chemical leak in a different part of the paper plant. The chemical, known as white liquor, was used to process wood chips and ended up burning the four employees after it leaked out of its holding area.
Investigators say that the two incidents are unrelated despite both involving chemical leaks at the same plant. Investigators say that the most recent accident happened in an inactive part of the plant while the first took place in a busy portion of the mill still in use. We can only hope appropriate action is taken to ensure the safety of the other workers at the Resolute plant. More than 700 people work at the paper mill which makes printing paper and pulp.
If you, or someone you know, have any questions regarding personal injury claims, please feel free to contact the experienced injury lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina at Arnold & Smith, PLLC for a free consultation. Call at 704-370-2828.
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