Articles Posted in Work Injury

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration will hold hearings in January on ways to reduce work accidents caused by slip, trip and fall hazards.
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Our Boston workers’ compensation attorneys know that fall accidents are among the leading causes of serious Massachusetts work injuries. Nationwide, 617 workers died in fall injuries last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Eleven peopled died from falls on the job in Massachusetts.

“These public hearings will provide an important opportunity for stakeholders who will be impacted by the rule to share their concerns and provide input on the proposal,” said OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. “Injuries and fatalities from fall hazards are a leading cause of work-related injuries and we need to have the best rule possible to ensure that we effectively address this serious hazard.”

The new rules aim to reduce the more than 3,700 cases of lost-time accidents resulting from work-surface fall accidents.
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The nation’s largest retailers are being warned by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration that they are responsible for the safety of employees and guests during the holiday season, particularly during sales events designed to draw crowds for Black Friday.

Our Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyers and Boston injury attorneys know that work accidents or premise liability cases can arise when retailers purposefully attempt to draw huge crowds for in-store promotions. Yahoo! reports this year’s hot items will include HDTVs, e-readers and iPads.
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OSHA sent a letter to the CEOs of 14 of the nation’s largest retailers, highlighting the agency’s “Crowd Management Safety Tips for Retailers,” and reminding them of the 2008 death of a retail employee, who was trampled to death at a Back Friday sales event.

“Crowd-related injuries during special retail sales and promotional events have increased during recent years,” said Assistant Secretary for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “Many of these incidents can be prevented by adopting a crowd management plan, and this fact sheet provides retail employers with guidelines for avoiding injuries during the holiday shopping season.”

Tips for retailers include:

-Make sure all employees are aware the doors are opening.

-Staff entrance with security personnel.

-Use public address systems to maintain order.

-Position door personnel to the side of the entrance and not in the path of customers.

-Do not permit a store to exceed maximum capacity.

-Provide a safe entrance for people with disabilities.
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The Occupational Safety & Health Administration has announced immediate changes to how companies must conduct outreach safety training programs after concern that employers were cramming training into unreasonably long workdays, thereby endangering employee safety.

Our Boston work injury lawyers are too often called to represent an injured employee after a Massachusetts work accident that could have been prevented with proper training and/or safety equipment. Unfortunately, employers sometimes put profits before safety. Amid the current economic challenges, OSHA became concerned that employees were not being provided adequate time to digest information provided in 10-hour and 30-hour training courses — primarily because companies were holding the training sessions in one-day or three-day marathon sessions.
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The revisions permit a maximum of 7.5 hours of safety training a day. Ten-hour sessions must be held over at least two days. Thirty-hour sessions must occur over a minimum of four days.

“Limiting daily class hours will help ensure that workers receive and retain quality safety training,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels.

The government was also concerned that the minimum training hours were not being met during 13- or 16-hour training days after breaks, lunch and other down time was taken into account.

A safety training fraud hotline has also been established, where fraud can be reported by employees or other interested parties.

The Outreach Training Program involves more than 17,000 independent trainers who teach employees workers’ rights and how to identify and prevent workplace hazards. The 10- and 30-hour classes are for construction, general industry and maritime, while a 16-hour class is provided for disaster site workers.
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A Boston work accident resulting from a collapsing gas-line trench has resulted in a $36,500 proposed fine, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration reported.

OSHA cited National Grid for six alleged serious violations of trenching safety standards after an employee was injured by a falling rock. The June 21 collapse of the gas line trench happened on Woodbine Avenue in Boston.

Boston workers’ compensation lawyers understand the inherent dangers faced by workers in trenches. Excavated dirt left at the edge of the trench can increase the pressure on trench walls. Heavy equipment working at the edges can increase vibrations in the ground and increase the risk of a trench collapse. Employers have an obligation to provide employees with the proper training and equipment necessary to stay safe when excavating or working in trenches.

Construction accidents caused by trench collapses result in an average of more than 70 deaths a year. Ten times as many workers are injured.

In this case, OSHA found the trench lacked protection against wall collapse and exposed workers to being struck by falling rock and soil. The workers also lacked proper training and the trench had not been properly inspected.

“This is precisely the type of incident OSHA’s excavation standards are designed to prevent,” said Brenda Gordon, OSHA’s area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. “A competent inspection would have identified and allowed these hazardous conditions to be fixed before workers ever entered the trench. I urge employers to prevent incidents such as this one by always following proper procedures and ensuring effective trenching safeguards at all jobsites.”
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The risk of Massachusetts work accidents caused by hazardous chemicals was highlighted by a forum this fall held by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, which aims to update exposure reduction strategies and other safety measures.

Serious or fatal injuries caused by hazardous chemical exposure are among the most complex work injury cases handled by our Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyers. While some cases result from a chemical spill or work accident, many other cases result from the impact chemical exposure has on an employee over a long period of time.
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OSHA reports that many of the government safety agency’s 400 permissible exposure limits (PELs) date to the agency’s founding a half-century ago. The government has implemented more protective regulations on only about 29 chemicals.

“Many of our permissible exposure limits are based on 1950s-era science that we now realize is inadequate to protect workers in 21st century workplaces,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels. “We must assure the protection of workers currently exposed to well-recognized chemical hazards for which we have an inadequate PEL or no PEL at all. I am hopeful that this forum will assist us in achieving that goal by helping us to identify those chemicals on which we should be focusing our efforts.”

Exposure to harmful chemicals in the workplace can damage virtually all parts of the body, including lungs, skin, liver, kidneys and eyes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 55,000 workers suffered illnesses related to chemical exposure in the workplace in 2007 — though the government knows that estimate does not begin to account for those injured by chemical exposure that will not present physical symptoms for years or decades to come.

Massachusetts work accidents caused by exposure to harmful chemicals or environments claimed 11 lives last year — another 7 employees died as a result of fires or explosion.
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A Massachusetts wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the family of a Boston firefighter, against six companies contracted to inspect the braking systems on fire trucks, the Boston Globe reported.

While a Massachusetts workers’ compensation claim is most commonly filed to collect damages on behalf of an employee and his family following a work accident, a personal injury lawsuit or wrongful death claim may be filed by a Boston injury attorney when it is alleged that the negligence of a third party contributed to the serious or fatal injury of an employee in an on-the-job accident.
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In this case, the firefighter died in January 2009 after Boston Fire Department Ladder 26 suffered a brake failure and careened down Parker Hill Avenue in Mission Hill. The truck crashed through the brick wall of a building on Huntington Avenue. The Globe reports that companies named in the lawsuit include Bay State Auto Spring Manufacturing Co. of Roxbury; Boston Freightliner Inc. of Everett; Broadway Brake Corp. of Somerville; Damian Diesel Inc. of Avon; Suspension Specialists Inc. of Allston; and Woodward’s Auto Spring Shop Inc. of Brockton.

The wrongful death lawsuit alleges gross negligence on the part of the companies, faulty brake work, installation of the wrong parts, failure to recognize mistakes during inspection. The negligence resulted in the truck’s failure to stop, causing the fatal crash, according to the suit.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the late firefighter’s daughter and widow and seeks unspecified damages.

On the day of the accident, the truck had been returning from a medical call when the brakes failed. The victim, who was riding in the front seat, used the truck’s horn to warn pedestrians and drivers. All four firefighters in the truck and several people in the building were injured. The victim died of massive head trauma.
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A Massachusetts work accident injured two men who fell three stories after scaffolding collpsed in Lynn, the Boston Globe reported.

Our Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyers are frequently called to represent employees who have been injured in work accidents caused by falls. Falls from ladders, falls involving scaffolding and slip and fall accidents at work are among the most common caused of Massachusetts work accidents.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 617 employees were killed in work accidents resulting from falls in 2009, accounting for about 1 in 7 fatal work accidents. Massachusetts work accidents involving falls killed 11 employees last year.

Total number of fatal Massachusetts work accidents: 59
Transportation Accidents: 20
Assault or violence: 9
Contact with equipment: 12
Falls: 11
Harmful exposure: 7
In this case, the Lynn, Massachusetts scaffolding accident happened shortly before 10 a.m. Monday on Blossom Street, where fire officials report several employees appeared to be working on gutters. The employees fell three stories and were transported to Massachusetts General Hospital.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.
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This week (Oct. 4-8) is Drive Safely Work Week as employers are encouraged to take steps to reduce the risk of car accidents on the job, Trucking Info reports.

Traffic accidents are a leading cause of Massachusetts work accidents and accidents on the job nationwide. Those injured in a traffic accident while on the job are best served by consulting a Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyer who has extensive experience in handling personal injury and wrongful death cases involving traffic accidents.

Transportation accidents were the leading cause of fatal work accidents in 2009; a total of 1,682 of the nation’s 4,340 work-related deaths were caused by transportation accidents, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Drive Safety Work Week involves a push for businesses to establish corporate cell phone policies to restrict or ban the use of cell phones while driving. The effort involves encouraging businesses to designate time to emphasize safe driving messages and promote call-blocking technology and other forms of prevention, like encouraging employees to use mass transit.

“Businesses across the United States are recognizing the impact of this problem on their employees and are beginning to adopt anti-distracted driving policies,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “The materials in this kit are designed to help advance your company’s efforts against distracted driving.”

Here are campaign tools for employers and employees to help prevent distracted driving in Massachusetts.
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During the months leading up to his brutal stabbing death by three assailants, a Hyde Park pizza delivery man shared his fears of being robbed on the job with co-workers, the Boston Herald reports.

An experienced Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyer or Boston wrongful death attorney should always be contacted when a loved one is injured or killed on the job. For family members reeling from the sudden loss of a loved one, speaking with a veteran personal injury and wrongful death lawyer can at least help you understand your rights.

In many cases, delivery companies have taken steps to protect drivers, including notifying customers of the limited amount of cash a driver carries and even restricting delivery to certain dangerous areas, particularly at night.

For little more than $20, his car and some pizza, the 58-year-old Dominican Republic native and father to twin 20-year-old girls was lured to his death while making a delivery last Thursday. Family members told the paper his daughters are inconsolable. The owner of the pizza shop plans to set up a charitable fund for his family.

About 75 friends and family members gathered at the courthouse for the arraignment of the three suspects, the Boston Herald reported. The composure of the crowd was dignified and tearful. Many held photographs of the slain man. Over and over reporters were told of what a decent, hard-working, loving family man the victim was.

Our hearts go out to his friends and family.

The Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyers at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers know that being the victim or the family member of a victim of work-related violence can be a confusing and devastating time. As veteran Boston workers’ compensation attorneys, we will work tireless for the rights of employees and their families who have been injured or killed on the job. Our team is available to meet with you to discuss your legal, medical and financial situation, either at your home, the hospital or at our offices.
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A Boston work accident has claimed the life of a 48-year-old electrician, who died hours after being pulled from a Norfolk house explosion, the Boston Herald reported.

Seven other people were seriously injured in the incident, after the WInterberry Way condominium blew up. Fire investigators believe the cause of the explosion may have been a propane gas leak at the job site. Two co-workers, ages 43 and 17, remained hospitalized through the weekend.

A Boston wrongful death lawyer or Massachusetts workers’ compensation attorney should always be consulted whenever an employee is seriously injured or killed in an accident while on the job.

Five other people, including two area firefighters, were treated and released at area hospitals. The victim was trapped in the basement for 90 minutes. The condo building is under construction at The Village at River’s Edge, a development for people 55 and older.

The 1,000 gallon underground propane tank was installed and inspected on April 20.
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