Articles Posted in Boston Work Accidents

A fire at a sewage treatment facility in Quincy resulted in five workers being hospitalized for smoke inhalation. According to a recent news article from ABC News Boston, the fire started deep underground in a system designed to reduce the odor of air being released into the local community.

safetymaskWhile authorities are not sure of the exact cause of the fire, one worker believed it may have involved an electrical issue with a fan they turned on in part of the odor control system known as an air scrubber. Continue reading

Nearly everyone in American ends up watching the Super Bowl. Some are diehard fans of the teams that have made it to the big game, but most are not. Many just watch to see the game played at what is supposed to be its highest level. Other people watch the game because they can bet on everything from the point spread to how long it will take for Lady Gaga to sing the national anthem. In case you were wondering, Las Vegas odds makers set the over/under for that bet at 2 minutes and 20 seconds.   There will also be people who couldn’t care less about the game but are interested in the new commercials or the food.

cut-2-342876-mAs for the food, there will be all kinds of good food and beer at most Super Bowl parties, including chicken wings. According to a recent news feature from Oxfam, Super Bowl Sunday is the day on which the most chicken wings in the United States are eaten. With so many more wings being consumed, it is up to the poultry industry and the more than 250,000 poultry workers to meet that demand. Continue reading

You have probably heard about other large industries with nicknames like Big Oil and the Military Industrial Complex. According to a recent news feature from the Pacific Standard, the lesser-known workers’ compensation industrial complex is a real thing.

pintofirishstoutRecently, those in industry held a convention formally known as the National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference and Expo.   However, this was no simple affair. It featured a live alligator, all kinds of performers, including “scantily clad acrobats,” and had attendees arriving in stretch limos. There were dance lights, after-hour parties, and everything one would come to expect from a party hosted by a major casino. Continue reading

According to a recent news feature from Business Insurance, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has just voted to approve medical implant device designed to help patients fight addiction to opioids.

perscription-drug-case-1156714-mThis implant, which was designed by two drugmakers working on a joint project, is implanted during a surgical procedure under the skin of the patient’s arm. A subdural implant in a patient’s arm is nothing new, as there are even forms of birth control that use this delivery method. Continue reading

According to a recent news article form the Worcester Telegram, a 30-year-old man was killed in an industrial accident on Christmas Eve. The victim was working as a CNC operator when the accident occurred. A CNC machine is a large machine designed to cut metal into desired shapes. CNC is an abbreviation for computerized numerical control, and is designed to take a computer model of the item and translate it into to cutting directions for the machine to make the part.

welding-1387182-mThe United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a federal agency that is charged with investigating all fatal workplace accidents and other serious industrial accidents to determine if the employer violated any safety regulation that contributed to the accident. If the agency determines there were violations, it has the authority to take remedial action. Continue reading

Panoke v. Reef Dev. of Hawaii, Inc. is a case from the Supreme Court of Hawaii. Claimant started working as in ironworker during the month of February 2004. He was hired to perform strenuous physical activities. His responsibilities included negotiating scaffolding, carrying buckets that weight more than 50 pounds to the scaffolding, using a jackhammer, and using pulleys to lift heavy items.

mmftBzMOn one occasion, he was working for employer on a construction site. He was responsible for assisting with an effort to build a wall with the use of large concrete panels. During the construction, other crewmembers were using pulleys to lift large concrete panels when one of the panels partially broke free from the chains used to hold it, and it swung abruptly to one side. At this point, employee was guiding the panel with his hands from ground level. Continue reading

Multiple Injury Fund v. McCauley, a case from the Oklahoma Supreme Court, involved a claimant who filed three different claims with his employer. In his first claim, employee alleged that he had suffered a cumulative neck injury, back injury, and spinal injury. He said he was first aware of the injury in 2006.

red-symbols-1-1092767-mHis second claim involved an injury to his hands, shoulders, and arms, and he said he first became aware of these injuries in 1990. His third and final claim involved an injury to his knees, and he said he first became aware of this medical condition in 1990. All these claims were filed in October of 2012. In December of that same year, the plant where claimant worked shut down. This meant his date of exposure to a work-related injury was December of 2012 with respect to this same employer. Continue reading

The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the federal agency under the auspices of the United States Department of Labor (DOL) charged with the task of investigating any serious or fatal workplace accidents that occur in the United States, including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

sewerpipesIf OSHA determines an employer was at-fault in connection with a fatal workplace injury, the agency has the ability to levy fines against the employer and require the employer to make certain changes. However, it should be noted that under the Workers’ Compensation system, it is not necessary for an employee who is injured on the job to prove any fault on behalf of his or her employer.   In the case of fatal on-the-job accident, it is not necessary for the employee’s family to prove fault on behalf of the employer. It is only necessary to prove that the employee’s injury or illness was work related. Continue reading

One of the more common scenarios that results in on-the-job injuries involves objects falling on an employee. In some cases, were are dealing with merchandise or supplies placed precariously on high shelves, and, in other cases, improperly installed shelves or retail fixtures have collapsed on workers causing serious injuries, including head trauma.

mjYB5dmAccording to a recent report from the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a large furniture chain store in Danvers, Massachusetts is responsible for an employee being seriously injured when boxes full of patio furniture fell on him. Continue reading

As 2016 approaches, employers and employees should begin looking ahead to how they can make sure next year is one of the safest years on worksites. Workplace accidents continue to kill and injure thousands of workers every single year, but Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is continually working to refine safety rules and bring the injury and death rates down. law-order-1240301

Safety News Alert reports there are likely to be four new OHSA regulations which will be debuted in early 2016. Employers and employees should watch the results of pending OSHA rule-making to find out what new safety rules will take effect early next year.

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