Altium Packaging Employees Need Protection from Common Plastic Molding Accidents

• October 31, 2024
• Attorney Matt Stoddard
• Construction Accidents

Altium Packaging is an Atlanta-based manufacturer of custom commercial packaging, primarily molded plastic containers. In addition to their local plant on Duquesne Dr. SW, they have about 70 locations around the U.S and Canada.

Working with plastic can be a dangerous job, and companies like Altium have a duty to make it as safe as possible. Doing so means understanding and addressing all the most common causes of plastic plant accidents.

Entanglement

Becoming entangled in machinery is one of the most common ways workers get hurt, across all different kinds of manufacturing. Injuries from these accidents can range from broken fingers and torn fingernails to lost limbs and death. To prevent these accidents, factories need to make sure machines are secured in place, with physical guards covering any parts that could catch limbs or clothes, and lockout/tagout procedures in place to prevent unexpected start-ups during servicing.

Unfortunately, entanglement is the hazard Altium Packaging plants seem to struggle with most. The plant here in Atlanta was cited for missing safety guards back in 2020, and three other Altium plants around the country have received the same citation in the past two years alone.

Fume Inhalation

All factories need to be aware of any toxic or irritating materials their employees (and, later, their customers) might end up coming into contact with. Plastic packaging plants, in particular, can end up exposing workers to harmful fumes during the melting and molding process. Altium has a duty to choose minimally toxic materials for their products, and to provide good ventilation and respirators where necessary.

Burns

Machines designed to melt plastic can of course inflict burn injuries on anyone who touches a heating element, or finds themselves in the path of an accidental splash of molten material. To prevent this, heat-producing machines should also have safety guards, and employees handling hot plastic should receive and wear appropriate PPE.

Wherever there’s a danger of direct burn injuries, there’s also a danger of accidental structure fires. Once a blaze gets out of control, it’s easy for dozens of people to sustain burns and smoke inhalation injuries quickly, especially if the building doesn’t have a strong evacuation plan.

Thankfully, evacuation wasn’t an issue for the Altium plant in Arkansas that caught fire last year, but that’s because the plant happened to be empty when the fire started. The fire burned for over three days, filling the surrounding community with irritating plastic smoke.

Flying/Falling Objects

Molten plastic isn’t the only thing in a packaging plant that can strike and injure an unsuspecting employee. Sparks, castoff splinters of hard plastic, and even loads of raw materials or finished products can move in sudden, uncontrolled ways, causing anything from minor to fatal injuries. Factory management should keep track of the “danger zones” surrounding these types of hazards, and make sure they don’t overlap with spaces where people take breaks or perform unrelated work.

Electric Shocks

Electricity is, of course, a part of every factory and almost every workplace. Most people rarely think about it, but that doesn’t make the danger of electrical accidents disappear. In fact, electrical systems are at their most dangerous when they aren’t receiving the attention they need.

Just a few months ago, in May of 2024, OSHA made an unscheduled inspection of the Altium plant in Atlanta, in response to a complaint of an electrical hazard. When the inspectors arrived, they discovered forklift cables with missing insulation, which could have exposed employees to live current.

Falls

Falls are a serious safety concern in virtually every workplace, but especially those with multiple physical levels. Altium Packaging plants, like all factories, need to make sure their elevated walkways and platforms have adequate handrails, and that any employees working at a height are equipped with fall protection.

Transportation Accidents

Close proximity with vehicles adds extra risks, and the need for extra precautions, in any workplace. Even slow-moving forklifts can be every bit as dangerous as trucks and cars, arguably more so. Every facility that uses vehicles needs to make sure the drivers are qualified and always follow safety best practices.

Altium Packaging fell short on this one in 2020, in their Tampa, Florida plant. An inspection discovered a disturbing lack of any certification records for their forklift operators.

Hearing and Vision Loss

Working in a high-decibel environment can cause gradual but serious hearing deterioration. The presence of flying material also increases the chances of sudden and debilitating eye injuries. To combat these dangers, manufacturers like Altium are required to provide at-risk employees with eye and ear protection, conduct regular hearing tests, and maintain easily accessible emergency eye wash stations. An Altium plant in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania was cited last year for both late hearing tests and a blocked eye wash station.

Injured Altium Employees Who Have Received Workers Compensation, May Need to Look Elsewhere for Additional Compensation

When a lack of proper safety precautions injures or kills a factory worker, suing the factory might seem like the obvious response.

Unfortunately, this is rarely an option in cases that involve an employer/employee relationship.

Under U.S worker’s comp law, anyone who suffers an on-the-job accident has the right to collect partial compensation through the worker’s comp system, without having to prove fault. The legal trade-off for this is that employees are not allowed to sue their employers for the full compensation they deserve, even if the employer’s behavior was clearly negligent. The same restriction applies to the families of deceased employees.

Worker’s comp law does not prevent victims of workplace accidents from suing companies other than the employer, however.

If you’ve been injured at an Altium Packaging plant, a good industrial accident lawyer may be able to help you identify valid defendants for a lawsuit, other than Altium Packaging. For example, you might be able to collect full compensation from:

• An equipment supplier. Factories rely on countless products purchased from other companies. So, for example, if your hearing protection failed, a blow molding machine sprayed hot plastic at you, a forklift fork detached while holding a live load, or you accidentally touched the unguarded workings of a conveyor belt, that might not be entirely Altium’s fault. The companies that design and manufacture all of these items also have a duty to make sure they’re safe and reliable.
• A third-party contractor. Large manufacturers like Altium also outsource various maintenance tasks to other companies. So, if a machine that injured you was well made but poorly maintained, an outside repair company might be responsible for its condition. Or, if you slipped on a wet floor, or stumbled into an open electrical panel, a janitorial or electrician service might be liable for leaving unmarked hazards lying around.

If you’d like to discuss the details of your case with an experienced Atlanta accident lawyer and learn more about your options for collecting a fair settlement, feel free to reach out to the Stoddard Firm at any time for a free consultation.