A McKeesport man was taken to the hospital when he received severe workplace injuries after an industrial accident at Dura-Bond Industries in Export, near Duquesne, on Monday. The man, in his thirties, is said to be in critical condition as of Tuesday morning.

Local police told reporters that fork-lift workers were moving giant steel pipes in the business's stock yard when one came loose and fell on the man, hitting him in the back/head region and pinning him face-down on the ground. 

Officials say the man is a temporary employee of Dura-Bond Industries, but were not sure how long he worked there before the accident. "When I arrived on the scene," said Duquesne Fire Department Deputy Chief, "I noticed a dozen workers…in shock, and had the frantic look on their faces [like] something terrible had [taken] place."

First responders says that several workers moved quickly to remove the pipe, but that the young man still sustained severe trauma. The fire chief initially cleared the area for a helicopter to Life Flight the victim, but it was ultimately decided that an ambulance would be faster and more effective due to the inconvenient location of the established landing zone. The victim was taken to UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh.

The victim's mother told reporters that he is expected to be alright, but that he has suffered three broken ribs and possible head injuries. Local police and fire authorities told reporters that this is the second such occurrence at Dura-Bond in the past few months. Although OSHA is unable to confirm those reports, OSHA does admit that Dura-Bond is only required to report incidents such as this when someone is killed or when an accident results in the injuries of three or more people. OSHA also said that they will be conducting a strenuous inspection of the Duquesne facility in the near future. Dura-Bond Industries was not available for comment following the accident.

Source: CBS Pittsburgh, "Man Severely Injured By Large Pipe" 13 January 2014