Worker was ‘impaled’ by blow torch while dismantling an old crane at EMR Camden
Fire department documents obtained by The Inquirer detail an incident in which a worker was impaled by a blow torch before being sent to the hospital at the EMR scrap metal facility in Camden.
A worker at EMR was impaled by a blow torch while taking apart a crane for scrap metal, according to Camden Fire Department incident reports.
Camden County had confirmed that a worker at the scrap metal plant had been transported to the hospital after suffering life-threatening injuries less than two weeks ago on July 18. The man remains in the hospital in stable condition and conscious.
The incident took place less than a week after the company announced its phased reopening after a string of fires. A judge had allowed EMR to resume operations after the company sued the city of Camden for suspending its operations.
Fire department documents obtained by The Inquirer through a public records request reveal that worker was injured while dismantling a crane.
He was on a stretcher with “what appeared to be a large Oxy-Acetylene blowtorch handle impaled into his left bicep and into his torso,” when Camden City Fire Department Battalion Chief Ezequiel Tirado arrived on the scene to respond to a burn victim, according to his report.
Another worker who could not speak English had cuts on his face, and blood and mud on his hands, according to Tirado’s report. They spoke in Spanish, and the man said he was hurt but declined to be brought to the hospital, stating that he’s an undocumented worker.
“I told him, ‘Don’t worry about that. Let’s get you some help,’” Tirado wrote. “He stared at me then ran away.”
He was later found at the hospital, Tirado said.
William Scott, the night time operations manager for EMR, said he did not know what caused the workers’ injuries, according to Tirado’s report. Scott said they were using a cutting torch to cut an old crane for scrap metal.
Tirado described the site of the incident as “very dark with no lighting equipment” and lots of debris. He said emergency responders set up lighting and discovered a pool of blood near the crane and under a lift.
Camden County spokesperson Dan Keashen said Wednesday that the now-stabilized man who was impaled with the blow torch was transported to the hospital in critical condition. He said the county police department is still investigating the incident.
Joe Balzano, the CEO of EMR, said on the phone Wednesday that the workers were subcontractors hired to demolish an old crane and not employees of EMR.
He said the injured worker is “a very hardworking nice man, unfortunately who was involved in a workplace injury.”
“We’re just glad that he’s doing well,” the CEO said. “It’s unfortunate, heavy industry situations have, you know, unfortunate accidents … we just hope he does continues to progress well.”
