Lumberton employee injured in accident at water treatment plant

LUMBERTON – A city employee was involved in an accident on Tuesday afternoon at the city of Lumberton water treatment plant.

The Robesonian received reports Tuesday that emergency personnel had responded to the facilty, but no details were available.

City Attorney Holt Moore said the incident "has to do with an accident. It's intertwined with the employee's private health information under HIPAA."

Moore said he was happy to provide what he can, but that he wasn't sure what he can and can't divulge in regards to HIPAA compliance.

Little information was available to the media on Wednesday, including the age and gender of the victim.

"We can't release health information under regulation under HIPAA," Moore said later that afternoon. "We did have an incident I believe yesterday where the employee was injured using a tool. No one else was involved. It was just one event."

According to Moore, the victim has been treated and released.

"There will be no ongoing disability that I’m aware of," he said. "That's all we can release without violating the health confidentiality laws."

This federal health law, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge.

The Lumberton Water Plant is a utility company that operates the public water system. It provides potable tap water to residential customers, businesses and others in Robeson County.