According to a recent new article from KDSK, a woman was working at a Waffle House when a customer began smoking inside the restaurant. Authorities say the employee told suspect he was not allowed to smoke inside the establishment, and he began arguing with the employee. At this point, the man allegedly took out a gun and shot the worker in her head. Other witnesses say victim was serving suspect along with two of his friends and had asked suspect if he enjoyed his Thanksgiving.

DWI ArrestWhen authorities arrived on the scene, they say suspect was still sitting at his table, where he had been when the employee approached him about smoking. He was taken into custody without any additional trouble. After being book and processed at the local police station, suspect was taken to court, where he was charged with first degree murder and is being held in a county jail on a bond of $2 million. Continue reading

Industrial workers often find themselves working in harsh environments. We have workers in steel mills and metallurgy plants working in and around molten metals, which are not only glowing hot but may also be emitting toxic gases. When conditions get dangerous, workers may have no clue until a serious or fatal accident occurs. This is also true of first responders who are constantly rushing into burning buildings or putting themselves under vehicles that are on the verge of collapse.

industrialsmokestackAccording to a recent news feature form EHS Today, Intel and Honeywell are teaming up to produce a wearable safety system for industrial workers and first responders. The wearable sensors can monitor employees’ present vital signs as well as conditions in the room. If the workers are wearing an air pack or other respirator or ventilator, the system can monitor that too.   The wearable technology will send its data to a local hub that can allow scene commanders to monitor all employees or first responders at one time. They will know if conditions are getting worse, and they will know if someone is hurt. This will increase the rate at which a rescue team can respond, which will help save lives of those injured on the job. Continue reading

According to a recent news report from Equipment World, a mechanic was killed while performing maintenance on a bulldozer. The victim was a 21-year-old man at the time of his tragic and untimely death.

mjYB3LcAuthorities have said worker was under the bulldozer after he had raised it on a hydraulic jack. The jack was placed under the front of the bulldozer, and, while workers was under it, the position of the jack shifted, causing the heavy piece of construction equipment to collapse on the workers. Continue reading

In a recent news feature from The New York Times, a once homeless man discusses his current struggles obtaining worker’ compensation benefits and a fear that he will be evicted from his small basement apartment.

misbgGcThe man first talks about the 18 months he was actually homeless after immigrating to the United States from Guyana, where he worked on a fishing boat. Before he was able to get a job that would pay his rent and other living expenses, he spent his nights sleeping on New York City subway system trains.   He said he first tried living at homeless shelter, but other residents were constantly threatening him. Violence in homeless shelters is common, including in those in Boston, because many of the residents suffer from serious mental health conditions, including schizophrenia with paranoid delusions. Continue reading

According to a recent news report form 7 News Boston, three construction workers were injured in an accident in Lowell, Massachusetts, just north of Boston. Lowell Police are reporting that three workers had dug a trench in the road to install a new natural gas line when a 76-year-old woman approached the construction site in her Mazda at high speed.

mYDyjiyAfter she allegedly failed to slow down or move out of the way the of the active construction site, she swerved to get around slower moving traffic and crashed into a Bobcat (small bulldozer) alongside the trench. This caused the Bobcat to spin around, throwing one construction worker high in the air. He suffered a large gash on his head. The Bobcat driver and another construction worker were injured when they tried to jump clear of the spinning piece of construction equipment. Continue reading

Recently, there has been an increasing amount of coverage about the dangers faced by workers at the psychiatric hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts. This is one of a few state-run mental health facilities where inmates in the criminal justice system are sent for competency restoration and, in some cases, long-term inpatient commitment. This is a dangerous job, because healthcare workers are asked to care for patients who suffer from serious psychological illness, including schizophrenia and paranoid schizophrenia, as well as bipolar disorder and a variety of other disorders that can manifest themselves with violent tendencies. Many of the inmates are also classified into what is known as a dual diagnosis, with alcohol or drug addiction being the second diagnosis. This can amplify the psychotic behavior significantly.

mjQByzaHowever, as one could expect, Massachusetts is not the only place where this problem exists for hospital workers. According to a recent news article from Utica Observer Dispatch, a worker at central New York state psychiatric facility was recently assaulted.   Authorities say the woman assaulted was a treatment assistant at a secured hospital facility. Continue reading

Sorensen v. Harbor Bar, LLC, a case from the Supreme Court of South Dakota, involved a claimant who graduated from high school and then enrolled in culinary school. However, she dropped out of culinary school in her first year and moved back home, but found her own apartment. She took a job as server at a restaurant in 2009.

1mri-head-scan-370098-mCourt records indicate that, while she was working on New Year’s Eve as a server for her employer, there was a fight, and claimant tried to break it up. One of her co-workers saw her in the middle of the fight, and he tried to help her. At this point he saw another customer hitting a person who was lying on the floor. He pulled the customer off the person on the floor, and he discovered it was claimant who the man was attacking as he laid on the floor. Claimant managed to get up and ran to the bathroom in an attempt to clean herself up. Later on, others in the bar noticed she had two black eyes and was complaining of a headache. Continue reading

Kelly v. Blue Ribbon Linen Supply, Inc., a case from the Supreme Court of Idaho, involved a workers’ compensation claimant who was working for a linen supply company. In late 2013, she was working for employer, when a heavy cart rolled over her left foot in the course and scope of her employment, according to court records.

mgyScleFollowing her accident, claimant filed a claim for workers’ compensation benefits, and the workers’ compensation insurance company paid her medical bills and for time lost from work (lost wages) as result of the injury she sustained on her left foot. Continue reading

According to a recent news article in the Worcester Telegram, staff members at the Worcester Recovery Center are concerned about injuries to workers as a result of patient violence.

506099_caution_For those who are not aware, the recovery center is located next to the old Worcester State Hospital that housed the Department of Mental Health’s inpatients. Many of these inpatients were involved with the criminal justice system as well and were there pursuant to a court order. The new recovery center is considered the “jewel” of the department’s inpatient facilities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Continue reading

According to a recent news article from Mass Live, police are looking into a wall collapse that resulted in several construction workers being injured at a home in Merrimac, Massachusetts.

mjYB3LcAuthorities have said that just after noon, first responders, including police, firefighters, and EMTs were called in response to a report that second floor wall collapsed on the jobsite of home still under construction. When they arrived on the scene, they learned that the wall had fallen from the second story of the home and fell directly on top of several construction workers. Continue reading

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