Town Fined $60,000 for Injury to Young Worker’s Hand

Summer students working for a town were repairing the lids of catch basins. One worker lifted the lid with a pickaxe so another worker could apply tape to the basin. While the second worker’s hand was in the basin, the lid slipped and crushed his hand. An MOL investigation found that the workers didn’t have a direct supervisor and hadn’t been shown how to do the job. Instead, they got instructions from a manager, who then sent them to repair the catch basins alone. The court fined the town $60,000 for failing to provide adequate information and instruction to the workers [Corporation of the Town of Pelham, Govt. News Release, May 23, 2012].