Articles Posted in Boston Work Accidents

Safety training is essential to protect workers from on-the-job injuries or fatalities. While some employers fail to provide adequate training and don’t prioritize employee safety, others want to do the right thing and ensure their staff is safe. Unfortunately, even employers who want to provide safety training may encounter certain obstacles in their efforts.

Prioritizing safety training is a smart business choice for companies. Not only can they avoid the risk of fines by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) but they will also have a healthier workforce and won’t have as many workers’ compensation claims. Workers who are injured on the job can make a workers’ compensation claim regardless of employer negligence, and should consult with an experienced work injury lawyer. Because workers’ compensation is a strict liability system, the only way to avoid claims for employers is to avoid injuries in the first place. This means employers need to find creative ways to overcome training obstacles to achieve the benefits of effective training.
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Within the first 12 weeks of 2014, there were six deaths of workers performing maintenance or serving cell phone towers. Based on the number of deaths of cell tower workers in 2013 (13 employees total for the year), the rate of deaths in the industry in 2014 is nearly double the number of workers killed last year. This increase is disturbing but not entirely unexpected in light of prior estimates that show the fatality rate in the tower climbing industry is five times the rate of other industries.

Although tower climbing work is recognized as high-risk, the significant increase in deaths in just the first three months of the year is raising questions about how safety protections can be put into place for those who work remotely. These workers may still be considered employees and eligible to make workers’ compensation claims with the help of a workplace accident lawyer, but the workers do not go to a central worksite where an employer can actively take steps to improve conditions and enforce safety rules in order to reduce fatalities on the job.
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had its budget cut in 2013 because of sequestration. OSHA was already underfunded before the cuts and did not want to reduce its compliance inspections unless forced. OSHA inspectors are overextended and far too few companies receive annual workplace inspections to ensure that they comply with occupational safety standards.

To preserve its inspection budget, Safety News Alert reports that OSHA instead cut its employer-assistance budget. Business advocates were concerned about this strategy and a new report indicates that the Department of Labor also is concerned that this will have a long-term adverse impact on safety.
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A recent study in the Journal of Applied Psychology revealed an increase in workplace injuries in the days after Daylight Savings time. No corresponding increase in the number of work injuries occurred when the clocks switched to standard time. This suggests that lack of sleep when this time switch occurs is a contributing factor to on-the-job accidents because employees who are overtired are less alert and more likely to make dangerous mistakes.

While the study outcome should prompt employees and employers to be more alert when the clocks change, it also shows the importance of getting a good nights rest every day before work. Fatigue does not disqualify a worker from recovering workers’ compensation benefits and those who get hurt doing work tasks should consult with an experienced workplace accident lawyer in Massachusetts. Still workers should make a commitment to not going to work tired in order to prevent a serious or potentially fatal accident.
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In its 2015 budget, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has expressed a desire to begin targeted inspections of more small businesses. OSHA is currently limited in its ability to conduct inspections on businesses with 10 or fewer employees. OSHA generally only conducts inspections of these companies in industries that have higher-than-average injury and illness rates. Now, OSHA wants to also inspect companies that have the potential for catastrophic incidents.

If OSHA is able to expand its inspection authority to more companies, this could help to reduce catastrophic events that cause injury not just to workers but potentially within whole communities. Ultimately, though, with a limited number of inspectors, OSHA can only do so much. Employers of all sizes need to exercise caution when dealing with hazardous materials or high-risk conditions and have an obligation to ensure that they aren’t putting others at risk. An injured worker who is harmed on-the-job should consult with a workplace injury lawyer for help understanding his legal right to compensation.
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The temporary workforce is rapidly growing in America, even as permanent jobs remain hard to come by. When the 2007 to 2009 recession ended and the economy began to improve (albeit slowly), there was a dramatic rise in the number of temp workers. In fact, temporary work has been one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. economy.

Temporary workers should be people who work only for a very limited period of time. Temp workers may have a job that lasts for a limited duration because they are moving onto other things, or because the company wants to test them out in a trial run without taking on the risk of hiring someone full time. Temp workers are usually hired through an agency, which is paid by the employer. The temp workers get few or no workplace benefits and employers don’t have to buy workers’ compensation insurance or handle payroll taxes. The temp agency is generally supposed to take care of workers’ comp insurance and other logistical issues.
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While workplaces contain many potential risks for employees, certain types of accidents repeatedly occur over-and-over across different worksites and different industries. Identifying the top cause of injuries and illnesses is essential to protect employees and reduce lost productivity and financial loss to employers. Recently, Travelers Insurancepublished some information on the top causes of workplace injuries and has provided some tips to employers for making their worksites safer.

Workers who sustain any kind of injury on-the-job can contact a work injury lawyer for help taking action. No matter how careful an employer is, a worker should be entitled to workers compensation benefits if he is hurt on the job.
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At the end of January, a 90-foot crane collapsed on parked cars in a plaza parking lot. The aftermath of the incident raised myriad safety questions about how something like that could have happened and who was responsible.

The City Manager denied any blame, indicating that the shopping plaza where the crane was operating was private property and that the city thus didn’t regulate that type of equipment. It was the responsibility of the Occupational Safety Administration (OSHA) to deal with “those types of work safety issues,” according to the manager.
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Temporary workers face some of the most dangerous working conditions. There are several reasons for the risk of injury. Temp workers are often in high-risk industries like manufacturing, factories, farming, and construction. These worker are often not treated as employees and are denied basic training that could increase the risk of injury or wrongful death. Given the dangerous nature of temporary workers, OSHA and other workers’ rights advocacy groups are making efforts to ramp up safety for temporary workers. Improving working conditions, including safety protocols, equipment, and training could help to reduce the number of accidents that temporary workers face when on the job.

According to a recent report by Pro Publica, temporary work is one of the fastest growing segments of the economy. Despite the large sector of the economy, the injury rates have been rising while regulatory measures have remained relatively stagnant. For companies, relying on a temporary work force can be an economically viable alternative to hiring. Businesses can hire workers on a daily basis and eliminate costs for insurance, workers’ compensation and unemployment taxes. The availability is a huge advantage for companies, while putting America’s workforce at risk. Our workplace accident attorneys are dedicated to raising awareness to improve safety and prevent future accidents and injury.
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Workers compensation benefits entitles employees to collect compensation while injured in the course of performing work-related duties. Under workers’ compensation law, victims do not have to prove liability or negligence and can even collect if they are partially or fully responsible for the accident. One question that comes up frequently in workers’ compensation law is whether or not employees can collect workers’ compensation if they were involved in a car accident while commuting to work or performing work-related duties in a vehicle. Delivery drivers, truck drivers, sales representatives and other individuals who must drive for work are often victims of car accident injuries.

In a recent case the Massachusetts Appeals Court held that a manager was entitled to collect workers’ compensation benefits after he was involved in a car accident on his way to work. Our workers’ compensation attorneys are dedicated to helping employees collect the benefits they are entitled to after an accident or injury. While collecting workers’ compensation does not involve proving fault, many victims may face challenges when presenting their case. Our attorneys are dedicated to helping workers collect and prepare necessary documentation to ensure compensation in an effective and timely manner.
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