Four worker deaths in Nebraska since March 9 — including the death of a temporary worker — prompted the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration to urge employers in the state to review their safety programs.

The temporary worker, a 42-year-old Lincoln resident, died March 20 after a vehicle struck him at a road construction site, according to OSHA. He was a temporary worker employed by Labor Ready of Lincoln working as a flagger for the road construction project managed by Brandt Excavation.

Struck-by incidents are the leading cause of workplace fatalities investigated by OSHA in Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri, with 23 struck-by fatalities occurring in fiscal year 2015, according to the agency.

OSHA’s Omaha office is also currently investigating the following workplace deaths:

• A 62-year-old worker in Sutherland, Neb., died March 9 after falling more than 38-feet while installing a platform in preparation for work on a grain leg. Falls remain the leading cause of death in the construction industry.
• A 42-year-old superintendent at Cooperative Producers Inc. grain handling site in Hayland, Neb., suffered fatal injuries March 16 caused by an operating auger as he drew grain from a bin.
• A trench collapse on March 21 killed a 61-year-old plumber employed by Clau-Chin Construction Inc. of Alliance, Neb., and injured another worker as they installed residential sewer lines.

“Employers and workers alike can prevent job-related injury and death with simple, common sense safety procedures,” said Jeff Funke, OSHA’s area director in Omaha. “With spring now upon us, construction and other seasonable work will soon be in full swing. Once again, workers will be exposed to some of the most frequently cited OSHA hazards such as falls, struck-by, and trenching — three of the hazards suspected in the most recent fatalities.”

OSHA’s Omaha area office is offering compliance assistance, tips and other information to employers and workers on common workplace safety hazards and how to prevent illness and injury while its investigators prepare their findings in the March cases.