Sadly in Haverhill on Tuesday, a Massachusetts worker fell to his death down an elevator shaft. The decedent was 41-years old and working on a construction site at the time of his death. Massachusetts State Police and OSHA are now investigating the incident. In a situation such as this one, there is for the estate a workers’ compensation claim to pursue, and depending on how the fall happened, a wrongful death claim as well against any parties that were responsible for the death.

This may be a case where the elevator shaft was not properly cordoned off. Or, it may be that the decedent was not provided with suitable fall prevention equipment. Regardless of how this occurred, it should have never happened in the first place.

It is no wonder that Massachusetts construction workers are oftentimes faced with dangerous working conditions. These workers are especially susceptible to falls, electrocutions, building collapses, and a myriad of other hazardous conditions. Oftentimes, these accidents are entirely preventable. By sufficiently adhering to state and federal guidelines, the rate of these incidents can be markedly diminished. Unfortunately, contractors, sub-contractors and other construction site personnel frequently cut corners when it comes to keeping injured workers safe. They do so to save money, and increase their profits. These self-serving moves only serve to expose hard-working Massachusetts workers to needless danger of injury, and even death.