Governor Deval Patrick has recently agreed to keep Massachusetts workers’ compensation rates at their current levels after an agreement was reached between the Massachusetts worker’s compensation bureau, the state insurance division and the attorney general’s office. As earlier reported in Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Rate Freeze, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley…
Articles Posted in Workers’ Compensation
OSHA Pushes for Safer Occupational Drivers, No Texting for Drivers on the Job
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recently released a campaign for a safer working environment for employees who drive while working. Following national awareness and campaigns on the dangers of texting while driving, OSHA is working together with the Department of Transportation and has released a “no-texting while…
Randolph Woman Charged With Workers’ Compensation Fraud After Office of Attorney General Martha Coakley Investigation
The Office of Attorney General Martha Coakley has recently announced that Maria Oliveira-Soares, a woman from Randolph, Massachusetts, has been charged with two counts of Workers’ Compensation Fraud. After a referral instigated by the Massachusetts Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), AG Coakley’s office began an investigation into Oliveira-Soares’ fraudulent claims for…
Western Massachusetts Electric Company Employee Electrocuted in Pittsfield
Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) is investigating an accident in which one of their employees was electrocuted and burned while working on electrical lines in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. A WMECO spokesperson reported that the Berkshire County man, who remains unidentified, is recovering at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston but would not…
Boston Big Dig Workers’ Compensation Case Settled: Insurer Had Right To Question Whether Employee Was Still Working
The Massachusetts State Supreme Judicial Court ruled yesterday that the insurance company who fought a claim by a Boston Big Dig worker should not have been penalized for taking the matter to court. Thirteen years ago, Dante DiFronzo was hit by a car at a Boston Big Dig jobsite when…
Department of Transportation Worker Falls Into Shaft in Ted Williams Tunnel in Boston
A Massachusetts Department of Transportation worker fell into a 20-foot deep shaft in the Ted Williams Tunnel in Boston early on Friday morning. Officials have reported that either a ladder broke or the worker slipped just after 1 a.m. He was reported to have suffered from leg injuries from the…
Contractor In Windham Suffers Amputated Leg On The Job
A contractor who was hired to take apart an above the ground pool at a residence in Windham has suffered severe injuries and is in critical condition. Fire Chief Thomas McPherson Jr. reported that, “Preliminary reports indicated that the patient was a contractor who was disassembling an above-ground pool, which…
Former Massachusetts Department of Corrections Employee Guilty of Workers’ Compensation Fraud
The Office of Attorney General Martha Coakley has announced that John Cloutier, 46, of East Freetown, Massachusetts, is guilty of Workers’ Compensation Fraud while working for the Department of Correction. From July 2008 to March 2010, Cloutier collected workers’ compensation for a work-related injury and told medical examiners that he…
Boston Real Estate Development and Property Development Company Guilty of Improper Asbestos Disposal
Attorney General Martha Coakley has recently announced that the Boston real estate development and property management company, JM Realty Management, Inc., and President John McGrail, were found guilty of improper removal and disposal of asbestos. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) witnessed asbestos material at one of their construction…
MBTA Worker Falls Down 30-Foot Concrete Shaft at Charles/ Massachusetts General Hospital Station in Boston
A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority employee fell down 30 feet into a concrete shaft below the tracks at the Charles/MGH Red Line Station in Boston early this morning. Identified as Edward Rowe, 46, of Haverhill, the employee has worked for MBTA since he was 18 years old. According to officials,…