Articles Posted in Boston Work Accidents

Working directly with electricity can be dangerous. Working near any form of electricity is dangerous too. In fact, most workers may not be aware that they are exposed to electrical dangers that can cause injury in Boston and elsewhere.
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When you think of workers in danger of electricity-related injuries, you might typically think of electricians, engineers and other related professionals. However, the truth of the matter is that people who work in offices and even sales people can also be exposed to electrical hazards.

Our Boston workers’ compensation attorneys understand that electricity has been recognized as a serious work hazard for a long time now. Yet it still goes unnoticed by a majority of workers. For this reason, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) pushes electrical standards to help protect employees who are exposed to dangers like electrocution, electric shock, fires and explosions.

Statistics reveal that there were nearly 28,500 employees in the U.S. who died because of work-related accidents from 2003 to 2007. Of these fatal accidents, contact with electricity was the 7th leading cause. Additionally, there were more than 13,000 employees who were injured in electricity-related accidents and had to take time off of work to recover.

It’s true that those working in construction see the most risks and injuries for electricity-related accidents. But it is equally true that employees of all types can be injured in these kinds of accidents.

Electricity Danger Warning:

-All types of electrical current can potentially injure you.

-Inspect tools and outlets before use each time to help to reduce the risks of injury.

-Make sure power tools are off before plugging them in. This is a common mistake that leads to hundreds of injuries every year.

-Dynamic electricity refers to the uniform motion of electrons traveling a conductor.

-Static electricity is when this force gathers on a surface because of contact with another surface or because of friction.

-Always use the right size fuse.

-If a power cord is broken or wires are exposed, do not use it. Toss it out.

-Electricity can’t travel through a pathway to and from a conductor that has been broken.

-If you have to work with electricity and a ladder, be sure that your ladder is made up of non-conducive materials, like wood.

-When you’re electrocuted, the electricity can hinder the functions of your body, meaning that it can stop the brain from sending electric signals to the rest of your body. This can result in serious, if not permanent, injuries and even death.

-Never work with electricity in areas that are damp or wet.

-If someone experiences a high voltage contact burn, they may suffer severe injuries to their internal bodily tissues. This is a condition that may not be detected by the outside appearance of the body.
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There were roughly 17.5 million young workers in the U.S. in 2010 under the age of 24. These workers account for about 15 percent of the entire country’s workforce, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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This group consistently has the highest rate for work-related injuries in Boston and elsewhere. This can generally be explained by the hazards present in the job positions that these young workers are most likely to hold, such as those in the restaurant industry. Restaurant workers face risks associated with sharp utensils, slippery floors and food preparation equipment. Often, inexperience can play a contributing role in these accidents. Many of these young workers, in middle school and in high school, face obstacles associated with biologic and psychosocial characteristics that can hinder their safety of the job. Oftentimes, these workers suffer from inadequate fit, strength and cognitive abilities to operate certain machinery and equipment.

Our Massachusetts teen work accident attorneys understand that nearly 360 young workers died because of on-the-job work-related injuries in 2009. There were 30 deaths of workers under the age of 18 included in these injuries statistics. From 1998 to 2007, there were about 795,000 injuries to these young employees nationwide. All of these injuries resulted in a trip to the emergency room. This means that these young workers have a rate for injury that was about two times higher than the rate for older workers in the country. This is why it’s important to talk with your teen about work-related injury risks, especially as they will soon be seeking out summer jobs.

According to the U.S. Public Health Service, the Healthy People objective is a program aiming to reduce the risks of work-related injuries for these young workers. Its goal is to reduce the number of injuries by at least 10 percent by 2020.

Right now, there is a teen injured on the job every 9 minutes. We’re asking parents to talk with their teens about the rights they are entitled to as a worker in the U.S. and the risks they need to be on the lookout for. With a thorough education regarding work standards, we can help to reduce the risks for on-the-job injuries for these young employees.

What are your rights at work?

-To work in a healthy and safe place that is free from known dangers.

-To be provided with the proper training for the job.

-To say “no” to jobs and work that can make you sick or can hurt you.

-To earn minimum wage. The minimum wage in Massachusetts is $8 hourly, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

-To be compensated for medical care (for most jobs) if you get sick or injured on the job. You may also be paid for the work you missed as a result of the sickness or the injury.

-To work without being treated poorly, unfairly or being harassed because of national origin, sex, pregnancy, religion, skin color, race, genetic information or disability.

-Ask for changes to your workplace because of your religious beliefs or a medical condition.

-Assist someone who is inspecting or investigating your place of work. You cannot be fired or reprimanded for giving this kind of help.
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Employers have to protect employees from dangers on the job! If not, they’re going to get fined like Monster Contracting LLC did. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the framing contractor is now facing nearly $60,000 in proposed fines for failing to prevent residential construction-related work accidents in New England. These fines were the result of an inspection conducted by the OSHA area office.
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“Employees at this job site faced the risk of disabling or deadly injuries from falls, crushing injuries or being struck by flying debris or objects while operating nail guns and other tools,” said Rosemarie Ohar, OSHA’s area director.

Training is important! Employees at this job site were not trained in precautions that could have avoided work-related hazards. Our Boston workers compensation attorneys recommend that all employees keep an eye out for dangers on the job. Yes, it’s the employer’s job to minimize accident risks on the job site. Unfortunately, though, that doesn’t always happen. Be a proactive employee and keep an eye out for dangers before they have the chance to harm anymore.

The company was cited for:

-Exposing employees to falls of up to 20-feet while performing interior and exterior frame work without providing them with the proper fall protection.

-Working near unguarded windows, stairwells and floor openings.

-Failing to provide employees who work with nail guns, staplers and power tools with the proper eye protections.

-For allowing employees to misuse ladders or to use unsafe ladders.

-For having damages on slings that are used to lift walls.

-For failing to ensure that truck operators had been properly trained.

-For allowing dangerous access to elevated portions on the buildings.

-For leaving nails protruding out of lumber on the job site.

-For not properly training workers to recognize electrical, flying objects, material handling and fall hazards.

-For neglecting to train workers on how to safely operate work-related power tools and how to properly use ladders.

Monster Contracting LLC has 15 business days to either pay the fines or to meet with an area director to contest these violations.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were more than 750 construction employees who were killed on the job in 2010 in the U.S. Nearly 40 percent of these fatalities were the result of fall accidents.

Work accidents in Massachusetts, according to the Massachusetts Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Report:

-The health and education industry accounted for nearly 30 percent of all work-related injuries and illnesses.

-The construction industry tallied the highest incident rate, with 6.1 per 100 employees.

-More than 40 percent of on-the-job accidents required time away from work.

-Most commonly, injuries at work result in either a sprain or a strain.

-Employees between the ages of 25- and 44-years-old had the highest number of work-related illnesses and injuries.

-Work-related accidents most often injure an employee’s shoulders or back.
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We often talk about the dangers of working in construction and with hazardous materials.
What we rarely discuss are the risks of work-related injuries in Boston ‘ offices. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), employees who work in an office, at a desk or in a cubicle are also at some serious risks for on-the-job injuries and illnesses.
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Employers of all kinds are required to make workplace conditions safe for employees. This means that employers are required to keep an eye on chemical hazards, work station and equipment design, environmental exposures, task design, physical environment dangers, psychological factors, etc.

The design of an office can make or break you. Office designs are supposed to allow employees to execute their jobs comfortably. Our Boston workers compensation attorneys stress the importance of proper ergonomic design. This design is used to make sure that employees aren’t working in odd postures, sitting or standing for too long, having to over-reach themselves and are making sure that repetitive work isn’t harming an employee’s health. Sometimes, changing an employee’s furniture or equipment can solve this problem and help an employee to work more comfortably. When posture is off for long stretches of time, musculoskeletal disorders and other problems can arise.

Employees can also be faced with risks for on-the-job injuries because of job stresses, design-related hazards, environmental dangers, open drawers, exposed electrical cords, repetition, job speed, job duration, chemical exposures, etc. It is important to make sure that the requirements of your job meet your capabilities. Overworking employees can often result in worker injuries and illnesses.

The nature of work is changing – and quickly. Now more than ever, on-the-job stress poses serious risks to workers’ health and to the viability of companies nationwide. The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) has studied these factors and concluded that about a quarter of all employees see their job as the No. 1 cause of stress in their lives. About 75 percent of all workers say they have more at-work stress now than they did a generation ago.

We’re not saying a job is supposed to be a walk in the park. We’re just saying that we understand that job-related stress is becoming a growing source of physical and emotional health issues for many Americans. It’s not just an excuse for being lazy. The term “job stress” is defined as a harmful emotional or physical response that can happen when job requirements exceed the resources, capabilities or needs of the employees. This kind of stress can lead to poor health and even on-the-job injury.

Employers are asked to keep an eye on the health and the job production of employees. We realize that, with the current economy, employers are trying to squeeze as much as they can out of each employee, but there’s a stopping point. Under no circumstance should an employee jeopardize their health for the completion of a job. Employers, please provide a safe and reasonable atmosphere for your workers.
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An estimated 5 million workers across the country will need to use a respirator at some point during the course of their job. That means there are millions of opportunities for the devices to fail or be used improperly. In other cases, they are not provided to employees who need them or employees do not receive the proper training.

Our Boston workers’ compensation attorneys have seen firsthand what can result from such a mishap.

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Now, in an effort to decrease those sort of occurrences, the federal government’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration (or OSHA) has created and posted a series of 17 videos to help educate workers and their employers on the proper use of respirators on a job site.

Respirators are different than surgical masks, though some models may appear similar. The devices work one of two ways – either by filtering contaminants in the air or by providing a separate, autonomous air supply.

The devices are used in a wide range of industries – from firefighting to the medical field – on more than 1.3 million job sites in the U.S.

OSHA’s videos, published in both English and Spanish, cover everything from how the equipment should fit to how to spot counterfeit respirators and prevent work-related accidents involving respirators in Boston and beyond.

One sector where respirators are often utilized is in the construction industry. Some common air contaminants on construction job sites include gas, mists, dusts and fumes, some of which can either make you ill or possibly be fatal, depending on the substance.

Just because a worker doesn’t feel ill immediately, as might be the case with carbon monoxide poisoning, doesn’t mean a respirator accident is any less serious. Asbestos exposure can lead to mesothelioma cancer, though it takes years for most people to learn they’ve even been put at risk, and by then, the disease is usually in its last, fatal stages.
This makes proper use of a respirator critical.

OSHA outlines that there are certain steps employers are mandated to take to reduce your potential exposure to such substances. These measures include:

1. Engineering controls, like local exhaust ventilation;
2. Administrative controls, like limiting the number of people who are exposed to the substance;
3. Work practice controls, like certain wet-cutting techniques.

When these techniques can’t ensure your safety on the job, your employer is responsible to provide you with a respirator. And not just any respirator will do. Certain devices protect against certain substances, and it’s important for both you and your employer to do your research.

Make sure that the respirator you use offers protection from exposure to whatever toxic substance you may encounter.

At the very minimum, your employer is required to:

1. Have a written respiratory protection plan.
2. Know what the respiratory hazards are in the workplace.
3. Find the right respirators for each job.
4. Provide workers with medical evaluations and respirator fit testing.
5. Offer proper maintenance, cleaning and storage of respirators.
6. Make sure you have the proper training when it comes to respiratory hazards and the proper usage of respirators.
7. Make sure they are paying attention to employee respirator use, and correct any potential problems.
8. Provide you with access to a written copy of the company’s respiratory protection plan.
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Every Massachusetts worker has the right to bring forth on-the-job safety concerns, without fear of retaliation by an employer hoping to cut corners. The hope is, they can prevent a Boston work-related accident.

That right is especially crucial when the industry is charged with providing a service to the public – one which they have every right to expect will be completed safely.

In the airline industry, if on-the-job safety standards aren’t met, people’s lives are put at risk.

Prolerized New England Co. LLC, also known as Schnitzer Northeast, was recently cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for 10 serious work-safety violations for failing to protect workers from work-related accidents in Everett. The alleged citations come with fines totaling approximately $70,000.
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Our Massachusetts workers compensation lawyers understand that employers here and across the country are required by law to protect their employees. Job sites must be free of known work hazards. Failure to rid work sites of dangers can result in citations, costly fines and potential legal action. Employees have a right to be safe at work, and it’s an employer’s responsibility to provide it.

Employees at Schnitzer Northeast’s Everett site were allegedly working in a rotating drum that is used to sort scrap metal for recycling purposes. When working inside the drum, it activated, injuring numerous employees. An inspection was conducted on that work site by OSHA’s Area Office in September, following the incident. In this inspection, a number of serious deficiencies regarding hazardous energy control procedures were uncovered at the site’s facility.

Hazardous energy control consists of procedures enacted to help ensure these machines are turned off, their power sources locked out before workers are able to enter the rotating drum for any type of work. In this accident, hazardous energy control procedures were not successfully executed prior to the job. It was also pointed out by the OSHA inspector that employees at this work site were not adequately and properly trained to perform this type of work safely. The procedures in place to ensure this job was performed safely were not efficiently communicated from employer to employees.

Additional discoveries through the OSHA inspection:

-Employees were not provided with the permit required for certain types of work that require heat, flames or sparks, which should have been obtained for welding inside of the drum.

-The workers were reportedly exposed to potential falls in the drum. This was the result of an unguarded chute opening.

Overall, the company received 10 citations from OSHA. Each of the citations came with a $7,000 fine, resulting in total fines of more than $70,000.

“Preventing this hazard requires a combination of effective hazard control procedures, training and diligence to ensure that the proper safeguards are in place, in use and understood by workers,” said Jeffrey Erskine, OSHA’s area director.

These violations were handed out because employers should have recognized these dangers. The company was handed 10 serious violations, meaning that there was a significant probability that serious injury or death could have resulted from these hazards that the employer should have known about them and taken the proper action to fix them.
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Work-related accidents in Massachusetts and New Hampshire are a serious problem, according to the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). According to recent reports, the regional OSHA office in Boston has filed a complaint against DeMoulas Super Markets Inc. This company does business as Market Basket. The complaint was filed by the officers, who ordered the super market chain, based out of Tewksbury, to review and to comply with OSHA’s safety standards. These safety standards are to be used by employers across the country to help increase worker safety and to protect them from work-related accidents. Specifically, the company must review the standards involving fall and laceration violations that were observed at the more than 60 of the company’s stores in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
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The violations were observed when inspectors visited a number of the company’s stores throughout the New England area. The inspections resulted in fines for the company totaling near $600,000 for a number of work-related safety violations. DeMoulas has recently contested these violations and fines with OSHA.

Our Massachusetts workers compensation lawyers understand that the complaints from the Boston OSHA regional office indicated employees were allegedly exposed to fall hazards from open-sided, unguarded storage and work areas. These areas included storage units and atop produce freezers and coolers. To make matters worse, one of the company’s employees was seriously injured in a work-related accident back in April of 2011 when he fell more than 10 feet onto a concrete floor below. Reports indicate he fell from an improperly guarded storage mezzanine. In 2007, another employee was injured in the very same work conditions.

“Hazardous conditions at multiple locations that expose employees to serious injuries demand a swift and comprehensive corrective response at the corporate level,” said Dr. David Michaels from OSHA.

Michaels said OSHA believes the supermarket company should have eliminated these work hazards after the first warning, when it was also determined the company should never have bypassed these hazards.

Additional Citations observed at various DeMoulas facilities:

-Failing to provide employees with hand protection to those working in certain dangerous positions.

-Bakery, deli and produce employees were not provided with the proper safety equipment.

Back in 2006, the supermarket company was cited by OSHA and said that they would conduct a thorough job hazard analysis in all of its stores. OSHA reports that the company never completed those inspections. From 2008 to 2011, employees at the Concord and Rindge stores experienced at least 40 reported hand lacerations.

According to Michaels, work safety is not an option. OSHA’s standards are in fact federal standards that must be met by all companies and employers in the country to help keep workers safe on the job.
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As we recently reported on our Boston Car Accident Lawyers Blog, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is working diligently to help curb driver distractions. The number of distraction-related car accidents is increasing significantly, and it’s employees who are driving on the job who are greatly affected by these risks and in danger of a traffic-related work accident in Massachusetts, too. As technology advances and the need to stay connected grows, more and more drivers are using communication devices when they should be driving. Drivers are urged to halt the distractions when operating a motor vehicle to help reduce the risks of a distraction-related traffic accident.
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According to the NHTSA’s statistics, there was a significant increase in the number of cell phone and other distraction-related traffic accidents from 2009 to 2010. Cell phones and text messaging devices are contributing to a good bulk of these accident numbers. Studies show that nearly 1,000,000 drivers are using a cell phone at the wheel in the United States at any given moment.

Our Boston workers compensation attorneys understand that it’s important for workers and employers to stay connected on the job. There’s no reason to risk an injury or a fatal accident for this connection however. Phone calls and text messages should wait until the vehicle is safely stopped to help avoid an accident. To help reduce the risks of these types of traffic-related work accidents, the National Safety Council (NSC) is asking employers to implement a cell phone policy for all driving workers. By allowing driving employees around the country to use cell phone and text messaging devices at the wheel, employers are displaying an acceptance of significantly increased accident risks.

The NSC offers employers a downloadable cell phone policy kit to help get the policy started. Creating a plan is simple; enforcing it lies in the hands of employers.

The free downloadable kit can help employers to:

-Build leadership and support for your company regarding a new or revamped cell phone policy.

-Communicate the risks of distraction-related traffic accidents and the need for such a policy in the workplace.

The downloadable kit also includes some sample policies that employers can use to implement a policy immediately. It also includes tips to get employees involved and tips for employers on how to manage such a policy. Plus, a number of communication tactics, including posters, talking points and voice mail greetings for employers to use to help employees to better understand the policy.

Employers are urged to adopt a cell phone policy kit in the workplace. Driving employees are at extreme risks for a motor vehicle accident when they’re busy taking phone calls and organizing work projects at the wheel. Employees are reminded to place their focus on the task at hand — driving — when behind the wheel.
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Many employees in the state work outside in the cold and often severe winter weather, putting them at greater risk for a cold weather-related work accident in Massachusetts. Sometimes we think that our blood is accustomed to the cold, but that’s not always the case.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reminds us that there are ways to protect yourself from the winter weather and a cold-related work accident. Our Boston workers compensation attorneys understand that workers need to be aware of the weather and its effects on the body. Before heading off to work in the Massachusetts’ winters, be sure to wear gloves to protect your hands and a hood or a hat to protect your head. If you’re working in wet weather conditions, be sure to wear shoes that are waterproof and that have good traction. Lastly, be sure that your cold-weather work gear doesn’t hinder your body’s movement or block your eyesight. You want your gear to work for you, not against you.

It’s no surprise that freezing temps and icy wind gusts can put you in danger, but did you know that you’re at risk for a cold weather-related work accident when it’s as warm as 60° F?

Stay Aware:

Hypothermia: One of the most common and most dangerous factors of cold weather is hypothermia. This may be one of the most difficult injuries to detect on the job. Hypothermia happens when your body’s temperature drops below 95° F. Beginning stages of hypothermia can leave you feeling confused. Hypothermia can also hinder your judgment and can lead to mistakes on the job. Sometimes these mistakes can be deadly. Some symptoms of hypothermia can include feeling confused, being clumsy, feeling tired and shivering. As your body loses heat, shivering can stop, your pupils may enlarge, your skin can turn a shade of blue, your breathing and your pulse can slow and you could potentially pass out.

Frostbite: A number of body parts are extremely vulnerable to frostbite. Your ears, nose, toes and fingers can easily get frostbitten. Some symptoms of frostbite can include stinging, tingling, numbness or pain in the area of the body that is being affected. To help to reduce your risks of experiencing frostbite, you should wear warm, protective clothing like shoes, hats and gloves. The colder it is, the faster frostbite can affect you. Never stay in the cold weather longer than you need to.

Trench foot: This happens when your feet are cold and wet for too long. When this happens, moisture causes the foot to lose essential heat, which can damage tissue and slow blood flow. This can happen even when it’s 60° F, so be careful!
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