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…
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…
The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recently settled litigation with NER Construction Management Inc., a Wilmington masonry contractor. The construction company has agreed to pay $134,000 in penalties and make significant safety protocol changes to protect company employees against workplace accidents. According to the terms of…
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…
Two roofers at a residential construction site in Bridgewater were recently electrocuted when the ladder they were moving touched an electrical wire overhead. After a fellow construction worker called 911, emergency crews arrived to find that one of the workers, Angel Caguana, 23, of Brockton, was unconscious. Bridgewater Fire Lieutenant,…
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…
A city employee was killed when he was working on a traffic light in Quincy last week. An 18-wheeler truck reportedly hit the bucket truck that Robert DeCristofaro, 58, of Braintree, was working in. Authorities confirmed that it was the impact of the accident that caused him to fall out.…
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…
A Beverly dentist, N. Terry Fayad, is being sued by the U.S. Department of Labor for reportedly terminating an employee for raising concerns about needle contamination hazards in the workplace and for filing a complaint with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The whistleblower, who remains anonymous, filed the…