Massachusetts Workers Compensation Lawyers Blog

Transportation accidents continue to be some of the deadliest on the job. That’s why officials have designated an entire week of October to “Drive Safely Work Week.”

According to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), this year’s safety week is highlighting how being at your physical and mental best — along with the “health” of your vehicle–are all connected in making us safer drivers.

Our workers’ compensation attorneys in Massachusetts understand that employers have the ability to reach more than half of the driving population in the country to help to make our roadways safer. And this reaches out to even more people when you factor in workers’ friends and family members. Employers should not only educate driving workers about safe habits behind the wheel, but they should also keep an eye on accident trends to help to make safe changes for the future. Back in January of 2009, officials with the NSC called for a nationwide ban on all cell phone use while driving. Those who use cell phones behind the wheel are much more likely to get into a fatal accident, and it’s our working drivers who are most likely to use the phone behind the wheel.
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With each and every job position we face workplace risks that could potentially leading to serious injury or disability. Some of these risks are more prominent that others. Once again, fall protection takes the number one spot on the list of Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s most-cited workplace safety violations, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). This year’s list of Top 10 was announced at the 2013 National Safety Council Congress & Expo.

“Today’s presentation reminds us that it’s very important to learn from the past and address these top violations to help make our workplaces safer,” said Janet Froetscher, President and CEO of the NSC.

Our workers’ compensation lawyers in Massachusetts understand that you have the right to a safe workplace under federal law. There are regulations in place to prevent workers from being killed or seriously harmed on the job. Almost always, workplace deaths and injuries are clearly preventable. Workplace hazards are well-known and painstakingly researched, and employers have a responsibility to follow established safety and health laws and common sense safety practices that prevent tragedies. Still, close to 5,200 Americans die from on the job accidents & injuries each and every year. That is more loss of life than during the attacks of September 11th.
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A work site in Chelsea was recently slapped with close to $35,000 in fines for what Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials called potential cave-in hazards.

The Medford contractor, Tufts Inc., was cited and fined following a complaint filed back in July. Upon receiving this complaint, officials from the Andover Area office claimed that they witnessed employees putting in a sewer pipe along 30 High Street in an unprotected 7-foot-deep excavation.

Our Medford workers’ compensation lawyers understand that excavation and trenching are among the most hazardous construction operations. What OSHA found on this work site is that workers did not have the proper protection against a wall collapse, and they were also working without a ladder or any other safe ingress or egress. Water had also accumulated at the bottom of the project, while the asphalt at the top of the project was not supported to keep it from falling.
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As we have discussed in prior posts, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is charged with ensuring safe environments for America’s workforce. In addition to creating regulations, performing inspections, and providing safety training, OSHA also has the authority to fine employers and businesses when they are in violation of OSHA regulations.

According to

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary for 2012, and the news is mixed for workers. While the overall number of fatal workplace injuries declined in 2012 as compared with 2011, certain demographic groups experienced more fatalities than in the past. Further, some persistent causes of workplace injury continue to result in a disproportionate number of worker deaths.

Our Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyers know that employees continue to face many risks on the job, even with the declining number of workplace deaths. Workers need to understand what the greatest risks are, and both workers and employers need to do everything they can to try to continue to reduce the number of people who die on the job.
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According to the Wall Street Journal, the number of workplace injuries recorded by the federal government has declined dramatically, dropping by 31 percent in the past 10 years. This seems, at first glance, like great news for workers. However, our Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyers know that this decline in workplace injuries may not tell the whole story.

In fact, the apparent reduction in workplace injuries may not have occurred because workplaces really are safer but instead may result from an increased fear of employer retaliation preventing employees from reporting injuries. If this is the case, workers need to be aware of the rules on employer retaliation and should seek legal help from an attorney who can protect their rights.
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