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After suffering an injury on the job, it is your legal right to collect workers’ compensation benefits as you recover. However, the claims process is complicated to navigate alone, and there are many factors that may stand between you and the payments you are entitled to. Educating yourself on what to do during the claims process is crucial to your case.

If you were hurt at work, doing the following is your best chance at approval for workers’ compensation benefits:

Seek medical treatment.

While we have come a long way with workplace safety, accidents still happen at work. Most employers prioritize the health and safety of their employees and want to protect their well-being and ensure that business operations run smoothly. However, not all do, and some take shortcuts to save money. 

Regardless of the precautions taken, employees have rights when an accident happens at work. Under Massachusetts law, employers are required to purchase workers’ compensation insurance to help employees recover and return to work after suffering an injury or illness while on the job.

Workers’ compensation has been a long-standing key element in workplace culture and safety. In exchange for giving up their right to sue their employers, injured workers are given certain protections while they are out of work due to a workplace injury, including reimbursement of lost wages and coverage of medical benefits. You may be entitled to these workers’ compensation benefits if you have suffered an injury in a workplace accident. To ensure you receive the help you need, consult with the dedicated workers’ compensation attorneys at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for free. 

Environmental health concerns of employees at the Hampden County Superior Court building are being investigated.

As Mass Live reports, courthouse employees showed up in Springfield to grill state officials over health concerns for those working at the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse. The facility was renamed last fall and dedicated to Roderick Ireland, the first African-American chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. 

Earlier this month, employees at the State Street building received a memo about ongoing environmental testing of water, air and building surfaces. Mercury and lead are reportedly of particular concern, after Judge William Boyle became the second judge in the building to be diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Lou Gehrig’s Disease, formally known as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is a nervous system disorder for which definite cause is unknown. However, fewer than 10 percent of cases are believed to be inherited.

The cost of workers’ compensation insurance continues to decline in Massachusetts, even as injured workers face a fight for benefits.

Massachusetts employer pay into the workers’ compensation system based on a percentage of payroll. Boston Business Journal recently reported the workers’ compensation rate has declined for the fourth year in a row — from 5.8 percent in 2015, to 3.83 percent for the coming year. 

While it’s good news for employers, it is no reason for employees to cheer, as the number of serious and fatal worker accidents has continued to increase with the economic recovery. Factors for declining employer costs likely include: Slow processing of work injury claims, routine denials of benefits, a confusing system of benefits injured workers must navigate, and misclassification of workers as independent contractors.

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You can find fluorescent light bulbs on most work sites. Do you know what to do if one breaks? It’s a detailed process that needs to be followed to help to reduce the risks, injuries and illnesses that are associated with mercury exposure.

Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced two new educational resources to help workers working near these bulbs and for workers who are employed to crush and recycle the bulbs.

The truth is that fluorescent bulbs are more efficient than other bulbs, but they’re also much more dangerous. Inside one of these bulbs is the chemical mercury. When exposed to dangerous levels of this chemical, you run the risks of some serious and life-altering injuries and illnesses.

Our Braintree workers’ compensation attorneys understand that mercury is a hazardous metal that needs to be treated with the utmost care and safety. Employees who work directly with this metal need to be cautious, need safety procedures in place and need to have an emergency plan. When a fluorescent bulb breaks, the risk of mercury exposure is also present. When inhaled, ingested or touched, it can cause serious illnesses, including troubles with your entire nervous system, your kidneys and even harm to unborn children.

Signs of mercury exposure:

-Coughing
-Nausea
-Diarrhea
-Eye irritation
-Severe tremors
-Vomiting
-Trouble breathing
-Sore gums
-Changes in behavior
-Difficulty breathing
When a fluorescent bulb breaks, mercury in the glass tube is released and a small amount of mercury vapor enters the air. A small amount of liquid mercury falls to the ground, where is continues to evaporate to form a vapor. Workers are primarily exposed by breathing in vapors. Exposure can also occur by skin contact.

Broken bulb cleanup plan:

-Never use a broom. Brooms only work to spread around the mercury.

-You don’t want to use a vacuum cleaner unless it is specifically for the use of collecting mercury and other dangerous materials.

-Never make direct contact with broken glass.

You want to be careful when handling these bulbs and mercury. It’s better to work over hard surfaces. Spilling mercury into carpet makes for a tough cleanup. You also want to work in areas that are well ventilated. Employers should also consider monitoring the air quality. You want to make sure that mercury levels never become dangerous. Consider offering workers who handle fluorescent bulbs regularly with respiratory protection. You can check out the fact sheet or the Quick Card for even more information regarding fluorescent bulbs, dangerous mercury exposure and ways to safely handle the two.

Train employees about the dangers of mercury exposure, safe ways to work with fluorescent bulbs and the proper ways to dispose of it. Make sure the work area is proper ventilated and that there’s an adequate air filtration system.
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