Just outside of Philadelphia, an industrial plant worker was killed by a falling hay bale. The unfortunate accident has rocked the small town of Avondale, Pennsylvania, and questions have now turned on the mushroom plant where the 40-year-old victim worked.

Workplace accidents are usually sensitive matters, and while nothing can be confirmed about this incident until an investigation is completed, some will wonder how a fatal workplace accident could have happened. If it is found that the hay bale was not properly secured or if the company violated any safety measures that contributed to the accident, the mushroom plant could be held liable in a wrongful death suit.

The 40-year-old victim was working with stacked hay bales when the top bale fell on top of him. A spokesman for the plant said the man had performed the hay bale job many times over his two years at the company without any issues.

Workplace safety should be a priority for any company, but this is not always the case. When this hay bale toppled onto its 40-year-old victim, how was it secured? Even if the victim had shifted the bales or untied some ropes to work with them, there should have been fail-safe measures to prevent the 700-pound hay bale from causing the 40-year-old's seemingly wrongful death.

The tragedy awaits the completion of the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration investigation. They will look at the safety conditions of the plant and how compliant the company is with federal workplace regulations. If there are violations that point to negligence on the part of the company, the 40-year-old's family could seek just compensation in a wrongful death suit.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, "Police identify worker killed at Avondale mushroom plant," Kathleen Brady Shea, Jan. 20, 2012