Man Files Suit Against U.S. Steel After Conveyor Accident

Illinois resident Jimmie Haines has field suit against United States Steel Company and its construction superintendent and safety coordinator claiming that he sustained serious personal injuries after a piece of his safety harness got stuck to a piece at the end of a conveyor belt cylinder.

The suit, which was filed in Madison County, Illinois Circuit Court on November 25, claims that while Haines was seated on metal decking and cutting a piece of 4x4 angle iron, the O-ring from his safety harness became caught on a piece of flat stock attacked to the end of a conveyor belt cylinder. The suit states that said cylinder was “in operation” and caused him to “be thrown about,” which caused him injures that were “serious and permanent.”

The complaint says that Haines was installing falsework for a temporary platform in the course of his work as a construction ironworker for Kvaerner-Songer Company when the incident occurred. Kvaerner-Songer was a general contracting firm that had hired him for the purpose of finishing work in a contract between it and U.S. Steel.

Haines claims that his injuries have caused him great pain and anguish in addition to substantial medical expenses. He also says that he has lost large sums of money and has become seriously and permanently disabled.

Haines claims negligence on the part of U.S. Steel and its construction manager and safety coordinator, Greg McKee, for failure to provide a safe workplace by allowing the unsafe operation of their conveyor system by having the end of the cylinder exposed and failure to take the conveyor system offline while he was working. He also claims that they failed to exercise ordinary care and caution for his safety due to their failure to barricade or cover the cylinder’s exposed end. He seeks damages in excess of $100,000.