A male worker was killed when a container fell on him at the Norfolk Southern facility in Jersey City on Monday, Aug. 15. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)
Patrick Villanova | The Jersey Journal
updated August 15, 2016 at 5:35 PM
A worker at a Jersey City rail and shipping facility died in an industrial accident this afternoon when a container crushed the machine he was operating.
Members of the Jersey City Police and Fire departments are currently responding to the Norfolk Southern facility at 125 County Road in the northwest corner of Jersey City where the man was killed around 1:30 p.m.
A source with knowledge of the situation said the victim -- who is an employee of a company that contracts with Norfolk Southern -- was lifting a storage container using a motorized container handler when the freight fell and crushed the cab with him inside.
Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said initial reports indicate that the wire that is part of lift snapped, causing the container and the crane to collapse on the employee.
Norfolk Southern Rail Police are leading the investigation, Morrill said.
Leni Uddyback-Fortson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said the federal agency has also initiated an investigation of the incident. Uddyback-Fortson said the victim worked for Iselin-based H&M International Transportation, which was cited for a safety violation at the Jersey City facility in 2014.
"Rail yard employees working as ground personnel unlocking stacked container boxes were exposed to crushing hazards during removal of container boxes," according to OSHA records.
A message left for H&M International Transportation was not immediately returned this afternoon.
The OSHA records indicate that H&M's previous violation at the Jersey City facility occurred "on or about" Aug. 4, 2014.
Authorities have not yet released the man's identity and are in the process of notifying his next of kin, Morrill added.
"Norfolk Southern extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the deceased," said David Pigeon, a spokesman for Norfolk Southern. "We are cooperating with the investigators to determine the cause of this incident."
