The adhesives manufacturer Bostik Inc. has agreed to pay $600,000 in fines as a result of workplace safety citations stemming from a March 2011 explosion at its Boston Road plant in West Peabody, MA. Investigators from the Department of Labor reported that the accident, which was the result of a…
Under current Massachusetts law, the failure of a business owner to purchase workers’ compensation for their employees is considered a misdemeanor-which carries a fine of up to $1500 or a year in prison. However, some believe the penalty is too light and hope to raise the penalty. According to reports,…
In a recent decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Court found that workers’ compensation disability benefits could, in some cases, be calculated based on the worker’s current weekly earnings at his most recent job-even if that job is not in Massachusetts. The controlling precedent for the lower court’s decision in this case…
Real “employee” versus “independent contractor.” How much difference does it make? The answer is that it can mean a great deal, as Massachusetts employers keenly recognize in seeking to classify more workers as independent contractors rather than employees these days, in an effort to limit their own responsibilities. Regular employees…
According to reports, workers’ compensation rates in Massachusetts may significantly increase in September, if the state approves a proposed increase. The Workers’ Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau of Massachusetts (WCRIBMA)-a non-profit organization licensed by the MA Division of Insurance that represents companies that write workers’ comp policies- asked the state…
A recent complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Labor’s regional solicitor’s office in Boston requests that the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission orders DeMoulas Super Markets Inc., doing business as Market Basket, to adhere to workplace safety measures. The Tewksbury, Massachusetts-based grocery store chain has more than 60…
According to Easthampton city officials, a city police officer might be retiring from the Easthampton Police Department against his will. An injury that he sustained while on duty has prevented him from returning to work for over two years. Officer Anthony Covalli, 30, who has been with the Easthampton Police…
The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recently investigated a workplace accident in which an East Boston, Massachusetts, painting contractor´s employee suffered from paint fumes in a confined space while working at a job at the Senesco Marine LLC shipyard in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The employee…
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recently cited Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co. LLC for 22 alleged serious workplace safety violationsin Somerville´s Inner Belt neighborhood. OSHA additionally proposed $130,800 in fines to the company for these violations. Inspections carried out between April and October uncovered…
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recently cited Bostik Inc. for 50 alleged violations of workplace safety standards following a March 13 explosion at the company’s Middleton plant. The explosion injured four of their workers. As reported in Bostik Inc. Provides Cause for Plant Explosion and Worker Injuries in…