Massachusetts Workers Compensation Lawyers Blog

An explosion here in the Northeast has been a tragic reminder of the importance of workplace safety. The accident is still under investigation as authorities are seeking to determine what caused the explosion at a New Hampshire Ball Bearings Plant. The explosion caused massive damage and sent 15 victims to the hospital, 2 with critical injuries. Witnesses claimed that the explosion felt like an earthquake and ran out of the building to save themselves from the blast that blew out windows a quarter mile away. The plant employs 700 workers in the town of 6,400 resident and was cited in at least two safety complaints with OSHA in the past decade.

Explosions pose a significant hazard in America’s workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were over 4,000 occupational fatalities caused by explosions in 2012. Our workplace injury attorneys are dedicated to protecting the lives of workers in Massachusetts and nationwide. In addition to raising awareness to prevent future injuries, we are also committed to fighting for the rights of victims who have suffered in work-related accidents. We understand the importance of recovery and will take every step to help you recover the compensation you deserve after an injury or loss of a loved one.
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The use of chemicals in the workplace can create hazards, especially for workers who are exposed repeatedly over a long period of time. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has created a partnership with the fertilizer industry to promote safety when working with chemicals. OSHA is collaborating with the Agricultural Retailers Association and The Fertilizer Institute to connect with thousands of farm retailers, distributors, plants, producers and other facilities that are commonly working with toxic chemicals. The partnership is intended to create awareness to prevent injury and exposure when storing and handling ammonium nitrate.

Chemical exposure can result in a wide range of serious and fatal injuries. Victims may suffer as a result if inhalation, chemical burn, or in the event of a fire or explosion. Our work injury lawyers are dedicated to protecting the rights of workers and their families after an accident or injury. Any injury sustained while in the course of performing work-related duties may entitle you and your family to benefits. Our legal team will take the time to review your case, assess your losses, and help recover maximum compensation.
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Business owners have a lot on their plate as they focus on complying with new laws for employee health benefits and struggle to compete in an economy where growth is still relatively slow. A recent survey, however, shows that for many small businesses, the top concern is not necessarily cyber security or professional liability. Instead, many small business owners say that one of their biggest worries is keeping employees safe on the job.

While it’s good news that small business owners place a premium on employee safety, the fact is that limited budgets and a lack of widespread OSHA enforcement can make it difficult for workplaces to be as safe as they could be. Even when employers are careful and do everything right, a worker could still be hurt. This is why workers’ compensation benefits provide coverage for any on-the-job injury no matter whether any negligence was involved or not. Victims who are hurt because of their work duties can get benefits and a workers’ compensation lawyer can help.
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The Occupational Safety & Health Administration is evolving to protect workers’ rights, although the agency is largely understaffed and can be slow to react to pass rules to protect workers.

The political climate in Washington is largely gridlocked, making it difficult for a lot of advancement in work-safety legislation, while ongoing efforts at austerity mean that OHSA is unlikely to get a lot more money to protect workers anytime soon. Still, this doesn’t mean that OSHA isn’t making changes and Safety News Alert has recently highlighted some top OSHA efforts in 2014.

Workers cannot necessarily count on OSHA to provide a safe workplace. Instead, a workplace accident lawyer should be consulted by workers who fear an unsafe workplace or who have been hurt on the job. While an attorney can be the best advocate for an employee, keeping up-to-date on OSHA’s actions is useful to know what steps the agency is taking to protect the workforce.
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Winter weather creates a variety of hazards that can significantly impact everyday tasks and work activities. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), common winter work dangers include environmental cold, strong winds and slippery surfaces.

As the wind picks up, so do the risks for a injury/illness, especially to those who work outside for prolonged periods of time. Construction workers, snow cleanup crews, police officers, recreational workers and firefighters are at greater risk. Also at risk, and less commonly thought of are landscapers, water transportation, baggage handlers, transit and other outdoor operations.

Cold stress may be present in many different forms, affecting the whole-body heat balance as well as the local heat balance of extremities, skin and even lungs. The natural means of dealing with cold stress is by behavioral action–in particular, change and adjustment of clothing. Sufficient protection prevents cooling. Our workers’ compensation lawyers know prolonged exposure to cold, often associated with insufficient clothing or physical activity, may result in whole-body cooling and a decrease in core temperature. This type of cooling is further aggravated by exposure to wind or cold water, which increases especially the convective heat loss to the environment.
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Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently sited Packaging Corporation of America after launching an investigation into the company back in December at the Chelmsford location. The company now faces more than $65,000 in fines for a number of violations, including two repeat violations.

“For the safety and well-being of its workers, an employer must take effective steps to ensure that required safeguards are in place and constantly utilized at all facilities,” said OSHA area director Jeffrey A. Erskine.

Our Chelmsford work injury lawyers understand that inspectors observed workers at the plant exposed to caught-in, struck-by and crushing risks while working with the machinery on site. Workers were not taking the proper safety precautions when shutting down and locking out power sources. They were also facing some serious risks for being caught in a number on conveyor belts, and were not provided with/using the proper protective guarding.
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Federal officials are looking into the death of a man who was caught in machinery while working the night shift at a New Bedford seafood processing plant. According to the Boston Globe, the 25-year-old worker was cleaning a shellfish-shucking machine just before 2:00 a.m. at Sea Watch international when he “became entangled in a rotary turbine engine.

It tough roughly an hour to get the man out of the machine, after dismantling much of it. He was pronounced dead. He had been with the company for close to 20 years.

Our New Bedford workplace injury attorneys understand that the investigation into this accident could take several weeks. Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will be looking into the happenings to determine if it was a mere accident or if the company was negligent at protecting its employees. Officials will have to carefully comb through safety standards regarding this type of machinery to determine if the company was at fault.
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