Believe it or not, the healthcare industry has one of the highest rates of workplace accidents and injuries. Workers face biological hazards, exposure to chemicals and drugs, and radioactive material hazards on a regular basis. In fact, more healthcare workers are injured on the job than workers in any other…
Articles Posted in Workplace Hazards
MA Gutter Cleaning Company Cited for Repeat Safety Violations
The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has levied fines against New Jersey-based Ned Stevens Gutter Cleaning and General Contracting of Massachusetts Inc. after a second incident involving a worker falling from a roof happened within the same year. The first incident occurred on Nov. 29, 2015…
Overview of OSHA whistleblower protections
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) maintains a robust whistleblowing program which encourages and protects individuals who wish to report a safety concern from retaliatory penalties placed on them by their employers. You may submit a whistleblower report multiple ways, including an online form, a document which you may…
Massachusetts Workers are Being Exposed to Asbestos Every Day – What can be Done?
Asbestos has been linked to deadly forms of cancer for decades – this isn’t news. Here’s what’s shocking – about 1.3 million Americans are still working in an environment with significant asbestos exposure every day. It’s happening here in Massachusetts and all over the country. What is going on? Why…
Could Your Respiratory Symptoms Be Work-Related?
When a chronic medical condition is a result of your work environment, it may be considered an occupational disease. Any worker in Massachusetts needs to know that any exposures to toxins, poor air quality, and lack of proper ergonomics can all contribute to a vast array of debilitating medical conditions…
Worker in Massachusetts Construction Accident Struck by 700-Pound Granite Stone
A worker was injured in an Amherst construction accident when a granite slab weighing about 700 pounds fell on him while he was on the job at the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. Carlos Velasquez injured his hip, shoulder, and leg. He was transported to a Springfield hospital. The Massachusetts…
62 Massachusetts Workers Injured in On the Job Accidents Over the Last 16 Months
As part of commemorating Workers’ Memorial Day on Friday, labor leaders in Springfield read the names of the 62 people killed in Massachusetts work accidents in the last 16 months—that’s a little over one death a week. National Council for Occupational Safety and Heath director Mary Vogel said that most…
OSHA Confirms that Workers Have Not Been Helped by Workers Comp. Reforms
In a recent Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Blog post, we wrote about an NPR and ProPublica probe that found that recent workers’ compensation reforms are hurting more than helping injured workers. Now, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued its report that reflects similar findings. According to OSHA’s report,…
Snow, Ice on Roofs Lead to Massachusetts Worker Injuries, Deaths
In the last few weeks, over 100 inches of snow have fallen on parts of Massachusetts. This has led to massive efforts to clear snow and ice off roofs and roads. The snow clearings have placed numerous workers and homeowners in high-risk situations. There have been at least two workers…
Massachusetts Nursing Assistants Sustain Back Injuries, Repetitive Trauma, Other Work Injuries
NPR reports that according to statistics from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor, nursing employees sustain over 35,000 back and other injuries each year. These injuries are serious enough that they warrant taking time off from work. Nursing employees are also three times more likely than construction laborers to…