Massachusetts Workers Compensation Lawyers Blog

With several bridge collapses in recent U.S. history, the government is making investments in repairs and construction projects to improve infrastructure. As local, state, and federal authorities initiate projects to repair these bridges, construction workers must also be properly trained and secured against falls. Contractors and other construction companies must make sure that employees have proper training and equipment to prevent future injuries.

As the need for bridge repairs continues in Boston and nationwide, construction workers are at risk of significant injuries. Our workplace injury lawyers are experienced in representing individuals who have suffered in a work-related accident. We will take the time to review your case, identify all potential sources of recovery, and pursue maximum benefits and compensation on your behalf. Our legal team understands the significant losses faced by our clients and their loves ones and take necessary steps to seek a timely and effective claim.
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The restaurant industry is second only to construction in terms of creating summer jobs. As Restaurant News reports, an improving economy means that there will be many more workers hired in eating and drinking places this summer. Nationwide, 2014 is expected to be the second summer on record where at least half-a-million restaurant jobs will be added.

Restaurant jobs can be a great source of income for teens and college students who are off from school. The busy summer season can also present an opportunity for people who have been looking for work to get their foot in the door of the restaurant industry. Unfortunately, this field has some risks for workers and it is essential that the millions who get restaurant jobs follow safety tips to avoid getting hurt at work. Our work injury lawyers have some tips to help workers stay safe and get through to the fall with the minimum risk of injury or death-on-the-job.
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In Massachusetts, there was one worker killed in 2012 as a result of exposure to harmful substances or a harmful environment on-the-job. As the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, this death occurred in a year when there were a total of just 33 workplace fatalities, down from 68 in 2011. Exposure to chemicals on-the-job can also cause cancer, birth defects or other serious and sometimes fatal damage.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is supposed to protect workers and ensure that they are not exposed to dangerous chemicals in their workplaces. OSHA should do this by identifying hazardous chemicals that are likely to be found on job sites and by setting rules for permissible exposure. Unfortunately, the agency vested with the job of protecting workers is falling far short of fulfilling its duties when it comes to chemical exposure. Workers injured or who become ill as a result of exposure to chemicals should consult with a workplace accident attorney for help making a claim for workers’ compensation benefits.
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School is ending, the weather is getting warmer and seasonal work is starting in Boston. Restaurant News reports that the construction industry is the nation’s largest creator of summer jobs, and the restaurant industry is the nation’s second largest source of summer employment.

Construction is a dangerous industry, with 19.3 percent of fatalities on-the-job in 2012 occurring in this field. As the Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports, there were 806 deaths among construction workers nationwide out of 4,175 total fatalities. This means that the risk of death is higher in the summers as construction projects ramp up both on roads and also on new buildings and renovations.
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Compensation for treatment and work-loss due to pre-existing conditions may be available under Massachusetts worker compensation statutes – but only if it can be proven that the condition was substantially worsened or aggravated as a result of a work accident or activity.

Workplace accident attorneys in Boston know that the key is establishing that one’s occupation was a major contributing cause of a pre-existing condition’s progression. Such will be required in order to receive an award of benefits. That means it has to be over 50 percent of the cause.

This is a higher burden of proof than what a worker would face if there was no pre-exsting condition, which requires only that a worker prove the workplace accident or activity was a material cause of injury.
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