Massachusetts Workers Compensation Lawyers Blog
Two companies in our state have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for demonstrating excellent standards of workplace safety to prevent work accidents in Massachusetts.
Employees and management at Raytheon Co.’s Cross Business Integration Center have been deemed a “star” site, which is a top honor in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs, for their excellent workplace safety standards.
Our Boston workers’ compensation attorneys know that we oftentimes report stories from OSHA in which they’ve cited companies in our area that have experienced serious, and fatal, on the job accidents. We are proud to tell you about a company that has been recognized for organizing safe work conditions and has succeeded in keeping its workers safe. It’s this kind of dedication to safety and training that helps workers avoid serious injuries.
“The VPP recognizes those work sites, such as the Cross Business Integration Center, where workers and management have established and maintained a proactive and ongoing commitment to safety and health that goes beyond simply adhering to OSHA standards,” said Marthe Kent, OSHA’s New England regional administrator. “Safety and health is included in the site’s planning process, and effective training is provided to all site employees and outside contractors as appropriate. In the past year, the center conducted a two-day safety ‘stand down’ for all its employees, followed by a similar two-day meeting for environmental health and safety staff from this and other Raytheon facilities.”
The Cross Business Integration Center has more than 1,000 employees. Their corporate and administrative officers are in Raytheon. The OSHA area director for Middlesex and Essex counties, Jeffrey A. Erskine, recently presented a Voluntary Protection Program flag and plaque to the members of this company in a ceremony that was held at the site.
If your company would like to participate in the Voluntary Protection Programs, employers must submit an application to OSHA and then undergo a rigorous and thorough onsite evaluation by a team of safety and health professionals from the Administration. Voluntary Protection Programs participants must then re-evaluated every three to five years to remain active in the programs. Once your company has received official Voluntary Protection Programs status, your company is exempt from programmed inspections.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were nearly 5,000 fatal work injuries in 2009 in the United States.
Changes among 2009 totals, compared to previous year:
-Workplace suicides increased by more than 25 percent. There were nearly 300 workplace suicides in 2009.
-The total for 2009 workplace injuries reported the lowest annual fatality rate since 1992.
-Injuries to white, non-Hispanics was higher by nearly 150 cases.
-The final count for fatal work injuries for black, non-Hispanic workers saw a series low — 145 cases.
-This year saw the most work injuries among occupations involving drivers of tractor-trailers and other heavy trucks saw an 11 percent increase – from 486 cases to 540 cases.
-The private construction sectors saw fatal injuries increase by nearly 20 percent from the preliminary count. The yearly total was still 14 percent lower than the final count from the previous year and the third consecutive year that these fatal work injuries saw a decrease.
If you have been injured at work in the Boston area, contact Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Attorney Jeffrey S. Glassman for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call (617) 777-7777.
More Blog Entries:
Raising Awareness of Fall Accidents in Boston and Elsewhere, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, June 21, 2011
OSHA Looks to Cool Down Work Injuries in Boston and Elsewhere with New Regulations Regarding Heat Outdoor Workers, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, May 11, 2011
Residents Encouraged to Participate in Picture It! Contest to Help Raise Awareness and Decrease Risks of Work Accidents in Boston and Elsewhere, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, May 4, 2011