Articles Tagged with Boston workplace violence

These days it seems like so-called active shooter incidents are occurring more frequently than ever before, given that Americans own an estimated 265 million firearms.  Aside from the intentional acts of terror, there are accidental shootings being reported in the media as well.  If an accidental shooting occurs on-the-job, any injuries may require a workers’ compensation claim be filed if the injured worker is to receive any compensation and medical benefits following the workplace shooing.

workplace Injury BostonAccording to a recent news article from CBS Boston, what was first reported as a leg injury at a local college ultimately turned out to be caused by a worker who allegedly accidentally discharged his weapon in such a manner that harmed his coworker. The school has said it did not release information about the shooting earlier because they were asked not to do so by investigators until the investigation was complete and denies that they engaged in any type of cover-up.  Continue reading

A man shot repeatedly while sitting in a vehicle outside the convenience store where he worked. Now, the state high court in Pennsylvania has ruled that he is indeed eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits for those injuries. gun

Judges with the Commonwealth Court ruled the injuries were indeed work-related, noting he was shot shortly after he was threatened by the relatives of a woman he just had arrested for stealing. The state court ruling upheld the finding of a workers’ compensation judge and the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board. His employer had appealed to the top court in an attempt to try to deny payment for the incident, which happened in May 2008. A big part of the reason the store fought so hard against payment was likely because, as records show, the company didn’t have the required workers’ compensation coverage at the time of the incident. That meant payment for the injury was on the state’s uninsured employer guaranty fund.

The case, although out-of-state, highlights how we define covered injuries in the context of work-related violence. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration considers workplace violence to be any act or threat of physical violence, intimidation, harassment or other threatening disruptive behavior that happens at work. Approximately 2 million workers in America are victims of this every year. However, not all have an easy time securing workers’ compensation benefits.  Continue reading

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