Interstate Electrical Services, an electrical contractor from North Billerica, was recently cited by officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for a number of safety and health violations following an Andover work accident back in 2011.
In the flash blast accident, two employees who were an installing an electronic service were seriously injured. It happened when a piece of equipment that they were working with came into contact with a part of an electrical panel that was energized.
After the accident and after OSHA officials investigated the work site, it was determined that the electrical panel was not properly guarded to keep workers and other materials from coming into contact with it. Because it was not properly guarded, OSHA cited the company with a willful violation that came with a proposed fine of $70,000. This recent accident could have been prevented if employers would have taken the proper safety precautions.
Our Andover workers’ compensation lawyers understand that the company was fined because officials felt that the employers knew and voluntary disregarded the law’s requirements. Officials also felt that the company exercised complete indifference to employee health and safety. Employers are required to minimize any and all known risks on the job site. It’s a right we have as workers in the country and we all need to work together to make sure that these standards are upheld.
The contractor was also slapped with two additional serious violations. These two violations came with another $11,000 in proposed fines. These two were for having an electrical wire that wasn’t properly protected against damage and for additional electrical hazards posed by a power cord that had been damaged. A company is slapped with a serious violation when there is a high possibility that a worker could be seriously injured or killed by a hazard on the job that the employer should have known about.
“It is imperative for employers to ensure all necessary safeguards are in place and in use to prevent incidents like this from occurring,” said Jeffrey Erskine, OSHA’s Andover area director.
Employees who work with electrical current face some serious dangers on the job. Practically everyone is exposed to some sort of electrical energy each day during the performance of their daily work duties. For this reason, electrocutions happen to employees in a number of job categories and they happen all too often. Hardly anyone is safe. Oftentimes, employees don’t know about the potential for electrical hazards present in their work environment. This ignorance makes a worker even more vulnerable to the dangers. Most commonly, workers are electrocuted, suffer from electric shock, they’re burned or they fall because of contact with electrical energy.
The Boston workers’ compensation lawyers at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers are here to fight for those who have been involved in an accident on the job in Boston and any of the surrounding areas. Call today to set up a free and confidential appointment to discuss your case. Call (617) 777-7777.
More Blog Entries:
Work Accidents in Boston and Elsewhere Targeted through National Safety Month, Massachusetts Workers Compensation Lawyers Blog, May 31, 2012