Zinc plant accident burns Palmerton man

A 64-year-old employee of the Horsehead Corp. was burned Wednesday morning in an accident at the company's zinc-processing plant in Palmerton.

[truthbetold]

NJZ has always been unsafe. I can remember, as a kid, riding past the west plant on 248 and seeing open flames through the windows in the various buildings. My dad worked there for years before getting laid off in the 80's and he saw many accidents in his time there, including a man who burned to death. Horsehead snows the community, saying it's cleaned up it's act...please..Palmerton is still contaminated. Take a drive along the Little Gap Road sometime and check out the molten, smoldering cinder piles. They get higher and higher every time I drive by there.

[wiseup]

I bet you drive a foreign car too, while American industry and american workers are pushed aside for cheap labor in China. The New Jersey Zinc Co. provided a decent living for people in this area and allowed parents to send alot of ungreatful brats to college so they could slam industry and be party to destroying the blue collar workers livelihood. And guess what, while we are allowing our industries to close and deteriorate, the Chinese are going strong, puking toxic gases into the atmosphere because the don't have environmental laws and guess where it's all going to end up when the atmosphere carries it across the globe?

[Faith]

I hope this man fully recovers. OSHA will check this accident out. Palmerton may be toxic, but it's funny, some people have lived here all their lives and lived well into their 90's. People still can grow grass in their yards, have trees, flowers and bushes. Many plant vegetable gardens. If it was as toxic as some people seem to think, I don't think much of anything would grow. Even the mountains are coming back to life. As for Little Gap Rd. area, even though some may consider it Palmerton, I believe it is really Aquishicola.

[Shocked]

They drove him to the hospital in a car!!!! Why didn't anybody call 911!!!

[Faith]

This Alavi sounds like a real jerk. He isn't even aware what's going on at the plant. But, it seems to be that way at most companies nowadays, the top people have no idea about anything.

[OH BOY]

Why does it suprise anyone that they didn't call an ambulance .Just look at the surroundings of palmerton The company never gave a Sh1t about the enviorment there Why should they care for an injured employee???? That whole area up there looks like a TOXIC nightmare nothing seems to grow on those mountains around there .. That place should have been CLOSED many years ago...."ALI Alai" ? Gee maybe they should look into him too..

[Get Real]

As for Palmerton being toxic....Palmerton would not exist nor would many of us if the Zinc company had not started this town years ago. My Grandfather worked the plant for 45 years and lived to 86.

[Jonah]

As a person who has roots in Palmerton for 5 generations, NJZ was one of the best things that has happened to this area.

Sure, the environmental damage sucks, but as far as jobs & local economy, the reductions at the plant have been horrible for the local economy.

Some brave, patriotic company should take over the abandoned site and create some jobs for the local people. People in this area are good, hard, loyal workers - and to ship all of our manufacturing jobs overseas is the biggest sin of this century.

[Annoymous]

My Husband works there and all although its not the best place to be and yes they dont always treat the employees well.. it pays our bills! And if the place was soo toxic then it would have been shut down long ago or the men would be seriously ill.. They do test their employees and clean up the site to make more environmentally safe. That is how my husband gets his overtime. Some of you need to get your facts straight before opening it. That place has given a lot of men jobs to raise their families! I just wanted to say its not as bad as some of you out there think it is!

[Annoymous]

I dont's think people are getting the real meaning out of the article printed about the Palmerton Man being burnt. The real shame in all of this is the way the company handeled the emergency situation. I hope in the future they use better judgement and are better trained in an emergency. 911 should have been called, because of the importance of treating burns.

No where in the article did his wife mention about the environment. She seemed concerened the way they handled things. Anybody would if it was there husband. The company should have notified the wife when the accident occurred.

[PalmertonIsNotTh riving]

it's faster to drive a car from Horsehead to Palmerton Hospital.

Just don't drink the water. That's my tip. 3297

[Bushwacker]

Shocked wrote:

They drove him to the hospital in a car!!!! Why didn't anybody call 911!!!

Because they know the volunteers take a long time to respond, and the hospital is right up the street

[ANNOYMOUS]

I THINK 911 SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED RIGHT AWAY ,I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW YOU WOULD FELL IF THIS WAS YOUR HUSBAND, FATHER, BROTHER,AND THEY WERE TREATED LIKE THIS, YES THE HOSPITAL IS RIGHT UP THE STREET BUT BURNS SHOULD BE TREATED RIGHT AWAY AND WHO KNOWS HOW LONG IT TOOK THEM TO GET HIM TO THE HOSPITAL!!

[Oh Stop Already]

The real shame in the article is sensationalism journalism by the Morning Call once again.

Quick reporting and not enough details.

Could the man have been driven to the hospital because it was quicker than calling 911, waiting for the ambulance to show up, then taking him? It's a two minute drive, if that. Come on people. Accidents happen in the workplace everyday, let's not turn this into Palmerton Bashing.

[Faith]

I am sure that they got this man to the hospital the quickest way possible. The ambulance service in Palmerton is not quick to respond.
I know someone who cut their leg on a circular saw, and it was almost 40 minutes before the ambulance came. Had anyone known it would take that long, someone would have surely driven him to the hospital, which is 5 minutes or less away from where this happened. Also when they did come, one of the men told another man to get something from the ambulance and the 2nd man had no idea what it was that the first man was asking for. Yes, this was a few years back. I sure hope they have improved their services since then.

[Annoymous]

Wow!!! wait a minute, you mean instead of them calling 911 with severe burns it was okay they drove him???? That means he had to walk out of the building instead of coming out on a stretcher after breathing in all that smoke. So to whoever wrote the article. Also I agree with the person who worte in there comment. Does anyone know how long he sat before he was taken to the hospital???? So think before you type in foolish comments. Anyway, I don't hear much of my prayers and thoughts are with the family.

[The Truth Hurts]

PalmertonIsNotThriving wrote:

it's faster to drive a car from Horsehead to Palmerton Hospital.
Just don't drink the water. That's my tip. 3297

you may be correct this person would get to palmerton hospital faster by car, where the problem lies is this person had severe burns, Palmerton Hospital is not a burn center or equipped to treat burn patients. That means he should have gone to Lehigh Valley right away either by helicopter or by ground ambulance. 911 had been called this persons burns would have been treated by medical professionals while on th eway to the hospital, and oxygen would have been administered.

He got none of that going by privately owned vehicle.

[truthbetold]

As a matter of fact, I do not drive a foreign vehicle. I agree that our country "out sources" way too much these days leaving it's own people in the dust. I am simply saying that NJZ/Horsehead was never really held as accountable as they should be for the devastation they caused to the town. I am a life long resident of Palmerton by choice; I remember how barren the mountain was before they stared hauling sludge (sh*t) from NY and NJ in order to "fertilize" the land. They couldn't use ours because it's contaminated. I am by no means Palmerton bashing, just stating th obvious to those who are clueless about the reality of the contamination. I know NJZ was the bread and butter for many folks in the area, including my dad. My question to you is what is the difference between the lead that exists in my bones from breathing in toxic air for decades and drinking contaminated water versus the imported itmes from China that contain lead paint. There is no difference-neither one is acceptable.

wiseup wrote:

I bet you drive a foreign car too, while American industry and american workers are pushed aside for cheap labor in China. The New Jersey Zinc Co. provided a decent living for people in this area and allowed parents to send alot of ungreatful brats to college so they could slam industry and be party to destroying the blue collar workers livelihood. And guess what, while we are allowing our industries to close and deteriorate, the Chinese are going strong, puking toxic gases into the atmosphere because the don't have environmental laws and guess where it's all going to end up when the atmosphere carries it across the globe?

[idontgetit]

My first thought is whether the victim was following procedures. Companies want to make a profit. That doesn't happen by hurting workers.
Interesting that he was hurt in '85.

[getyourfacts]

this man was doing something he wasnt supposed to. FACT. And yes thank you morning call, every time they write about palmerton, they end the story with how palmerton is a superfund site. The NJZ put food on the table for many residents for a long time. back when the younger generation had to WORK for a living and work their way up. IN fact NJZ built the entire town, which is more beautiful than ugly downtown slatington, coaldale, and many surrounding communities.