Industrial accidents can occur in industrial facilities like gas and oil refineries, petrochemical plants, construction sites, factories, mines, and anywhere else workers are subject to industrial workplace hazards and the attendant risk of workplace injuries.

Industrial facilities are most likely to have conditions that are ripe for industrial accidents that cause serious injuries and death, much more so than any other workplace setting. Though federal and state statutes provide for safe working conditions for employees, every year thousands of American workers are injured or killed in factory fires, refinery explosions, mine collapses, construction accidents, and by exposure to toxic chemicals or contact with dangerous machinery. Workers are killed and injured by falls, electrocutions, crane accidents, and injuries sustained while operating equipment like derricks, conveyors, metal and woodworking tools, trucks, tractors, etc.  Catastrophic injuries can be caused be refinery explosions, explosions in mines, or when huge cranes collapse threatening the lives of workers on the ground.

When workers are injured in such accidents, an industrial accident lawyer can bring a claim that targets the responsible employer, other employees of the facility, or third parties or companies whose negligence caused the accident.

Mining Accidents

Mining accidents are some of the most devastating industrial accidents, and can involve severe injuries, and often, heavy fatalities. These accidents can occur due to an explosion inside a mine, leakage of poisonous chemicals and gases, flooding of mines, or collapse of the mine roof. Mining accidents can be attributed to malfunctioning equipment, lack of adequate safety training, or lack of supervision—all of which are responsibilities of the mine operator or employer.

Refinery Explosions

Among industrial accidents, refinery explosions tend to make front-page news because of their link to high profile petrochemical industry and because of the massive, often publicly visible devastation they can cause.  These accidents occur as a result of hazardous practices and conditions that increase the risk of an explosion. These conditions include placing of atmospheric vents on pressure units, inability to manage hazardous gases in a  controlled manner, and poor management of alarm systems. Moreover, workers may be inadequately trained in the prevention of accidents, and there may be inadequate emergency response systems at the plant which increase the risk of injury to workers. 

Catastrophic Injuries

Industrial accidents with the potential to inflict catastrophic injuries include disasters relating to explosions, fire, and collapse of buildings, walls and construction materials.  Explosions can be triggered when there is poor containment and management of hazardous materials.  Fires can result from electrical malfunctions, combustion of flammable substances and chemical particles, and gas and oil explosions.  Collapse accidents can involve disintegration of construction canopies, and trenches that have been dug for excavation, or collapse of unstable roofing structures inside mines.

Toxic Chemical Exposure

The construction, building materials, mining, and plastics industry involve the use of chemicals or release of byproducts that can adversely impact workers' health.  Exposure to chemicals in the workplace can be either through skin penetration, or inhalation of gases and vapors.  Workers at petrochemical plants and oil refineries may be exposed to benzene, a colorless, odorless liquid, which has been linked to blood disorders, including various forms of leukemia and anemia.  Exposure to asbestos which was widely used in the construction industry a few decades ago, left thousands of workers battling mesothelioma, a hardening of the lining of the lungs, and other serious and sometimes fatal lung diseases.

Construction Accidents

Industrial construction sites are full of hazards that can severely injure or kill workers.  There are serious risks of industrial accidents involving falls from scaffolding and ladders, collapse of construction frameworks and trenches, injuries because of falling debris, and dangers from defective tools and construction equipment, including pulleys, conveyors, hoists, etc.

Crane Accidents

Crane operators are often subject to hazardous working conditions and the risk of industrial accidents caused by defective or poorly maintained crane equipment, or a lack of training.  Cranes employed in the construction industry, maritime industry, and general industrial use are subject to enormous static and dynamic loads which, if improperly managed, can result in catastrophic industrial accidents. Cranes can come in contact with live power lines, can collapse, and can suffer from rigging failures. Injuries can be severe, ranging from spinal cord injuries and severe head trauma to amputated limbs or death.