Articles Posted in Workplace Hazards

Last night, a Massachusetts police officer sustained injuries to the cheek and hand after being shot in the line of duty. The officer was connected with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He and two ATF agents were serving a warrant in Somerville when a 21-year-old allegedly opened fire. The suspect was shot and pronounced dead at Somerville Hospital.

According to Somerville’s Police Chief, this was the first Somerville cop he knows of to be shot in the line of duty. The officer was in stable condition at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Although police officers are exposed to hazards are the job, such as gunfire, car crashes, and explosions, they are not covered by Massachusetts’ workers’ compensation system. Firefighters, railroad workers, and independent contractors are also excluded from the system.

Source: Officials ID officer shot in line of duty, Boston Herald, November 3, 2010 Continue reading

Earlier this month, a hearing for a 44-year-old Hingham Sewer Department staffer brought up issues of workplace safety. The worker is accused of insubordination and stood before a three-person elected board as they considered whether to fire him. He argued that that town is trying to get rid of him after he filed a complaint about unsafe working conditions with the Massachusetts Division of Occupational Safety.

Hingham has 13 stations that pump raw sewage, but the man’s complaints were focused on the Bayberry Station. He alleges that a colleague was hit with electrical shocks while working at that station. He also says that the town failed to fix the cause of that workplace accident and that there could still be unaddressed workplace violations at the station. It was also the site of a fire in 2008, according to the man.

The Sewer Commissioner has said the town is working to address safety concerns.

Source: Workplace violations alleged at hearing of Hingham sewer worker, Boston Globe, July 14, 2010 Continue reading

Heightened stress from the recession and the tight job market have led to several workplace shootings in recent years. While most people don’t think of shootings as a common cause of work-related deaths, statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that assaults and violence is actually the third most-common cause of at-work deaths.

The most recently recorded statistics are from 2008 and show that assaults and violent acts accounted for 816 deaths, a decrease of 5% from 2007. The top cause of death was transportation accidents and contact with objects or equipment, causing 2,130 and 937 deaths respectively. Other common causes include falls, exposure to harmful substances, and fires or explosions.

According to Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., assaults and violent acts are the 10th most-common cause of disabling injuries in the workplace. In 2007, these injuries cost employers $600 million. However the top cause of serious injury is heavy lifting or other forms of overextension.

Source: Violence Is Workplace Hazard, Portfolio.com, July 13, 2010 Continue reading

Our Massachusetts construction accident attorneys have learned that the contractor involved in an accident last month that seriously injured a worker has been cited for more than two dozen safety violations over the past few years.

OSHA records show that the company has been fined or paid settlements of more than $20,000 in the past six years. In 2009 alone, OSHA cited Massachusetts masonry and stone contractors in 42 separate incidents. Safety violations by this particular contractor include lack of safety training and failure to provide the proper fall protection for workers.

The Salem construction accident that occurred on June 15 is still being investigated. So far no blame has been assigned.

Source: Court contractor had 20 OSHA violations, The Salem News, July 1 Continue reading

Our Massachusetts workers’ compensation attorneys have learned that a New England seafood processor has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for 17 alleged safety violations. Inspectors from OSHA found that the company did not adequately inspect and test the ammonia piping system. Previously identified issues had also not been fixed.

These issues led to the issuing of two willful citations with $140,000 in proposed fines. According to an OSHA area director, the company’s failure to inspect and test the ammonia piping system exposes workers to potential ammonia leaks or similarly hazardous incidents.

In addition to the willful citations, OSHA also discovered that the plant failed to label and identify piping systems, provide workers with hand protection, and perform other safety-related tasks. As a result, the company received nine serious citations with a total of $44,500 in fines.

The company also received one repeat citation for not properly calibrating equipment that inspects and tests compressors and cryolators. That citation carried a proposed fine of $25,000. OSHA discovered an identical hazard at the company’s Danvers, Massachusetts plant last year. An incomplete or inadequate illness and injury log led to five other-than-serious citations with $5,000 in fines for a total of $214,500 in proposed fines.

Source: Seafood processor fined USD 214,500 for violations, FIS.com, June 3, 2010 Continue reading

Our Boston personal injury attorneys recently read an article about so-called “blame the worker” safety programs. Examples include “safety incentives” where management awards prizes to workers for not reporting injuries. In some cases, management may also revoke perks during months when the company had reported injuries or force a worker who reported an injury to wear a fluorescent orange vest for a week.

Pressuring workers to hide injuries can have catastrophic results, because when workers fail to report injuries or illnesses, the hazards go unadressed. In fact, one Massachusetts employer received an award for having zero recordable injuries and the following year, a worker was crushed to death in a machinery accident. It later came to light that the company had had minor injuries on the machine, but they went unreported.

Reporting injuries not only ensures that the worker gets the workers’ compensation or other care they need, but also helps ensure that the company makes vital safety adjustments to prevent future incidents.

Source: Confronting Blame-the-Worker Safety Programs, LaborNotes.org, May 19, 2010 Continue reading