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Our Massachusetts workplace injury lawyers recently read an editorial written by The Enterprise about the need for greater workplace safety precautions. The article calls for stiffer penalties against employers who violate safety guidelines, because in some cases it’s cheaper for employers to simply pay the fines than actually fix the problem.

While the average OSHA fine in Massachusetts is $13,300, more than half the employers who were fined last year settled their cases for less than $10,000. A third paid only $5,000.

Many of the companies with workplace deaths last year had already received citations for safety violations. For instance, a 51-year-old Stoughton man died in a forklift accident at a Taunton warehouse last August, and OSHA records show that the company was cited for three forklift violations the previous year. These incidents underscore the sad economics involved with many fatal workplace accidents.

Source: OPINION: Accidents shine light on workplace safety, The Enterprise, May 5, 2010 Continue reading

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The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health and the Massachusetts AFL-CIO recently released work-related death statistics for last year. According to the report, Massachusetts had 62 work-related deaths last year, among them car crashes, industrial accidents, and workplace falls. The average age of death was 46.

The statistics have decreased since 2004, when Massachusetts had 81 work-related deaths, but safety advocates worry that some employers are not taking workplace hazards seriously enough. In a few cases, the employer involved in the workplace accident had already been cited by OSHA for safety violations.

Advocates say that many of these deaths could have been prevented by following safety precautions, but some of these employers find it less expensive to pay the fines than to actually correct the safety issues.

Source: Study finds 62 work-related deaths last year in Massachusetts, EnterpriseNews.com, April 28, 2010 Continue reading

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Last week, a construction accident claimed the life of a Georgia machinery operator. The man was operating a bob-cat at a high school construction site when he was hit and killed by the machine’s boom.

According to reports, the worker was partially out of the bob-cat when it killed him. He had apparently climbed out of the front of the driver’s seat to adjust the machine or remove some debris when he caused the raised shovel arm to drop, pinning him head to the steel cage. The construction accident victim was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by the coroner.

Sheriff’s deputies and investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the fatal construction accident.

Source: One Killed In Construction Accident At High School, CBSAtlanta.com, April 21, 2010
Douglas County construction worker crushed to death, Atlanta-Journal Constitution, April 21, 2010 Continue reading

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In December, a Newburyport scaffolding accident injured two workers who were working on the roof of a two-story home. The scaffolding apparently collapsed and threw the two men to the concrete sidewalk below, causing back and head injuries to both men, one of whom was the contractor himself. They were airlifted separately to Boston hospitals.

While investigating the construction accident, OSHA inspectors found six proposed six safety violations at the job site where the two men were injured. Four of the violations carry proposed fines of $2,100 each. The other two carry $1,500 fines. All six of the violations were classified as “serious.”

According to OSHA, the scaffolding was inadequate and employees were not protected from fall hazards or properly trained to work on a scaffold. OSHA also alleges that the job site was not equipped with protective systems to prevent falls and that the ladder was unsecured. The contractor has filed notice that it will be contesting the fines.

Source: OSHA seeks fines in Kent St. building accident, The Daily News, April 14, 2010 Continue reading

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On Wednesday, a traffic collision on Route 3 South in Plymouth sent a highway worker to the hospital with minor injuries.

The Boston Channel reports that a Massachusetts State Police cruiser rear-ended a construction vehicle. The police officer driving the cruiser was apparently not injured.

According to reports, the motor vehicle crash occurred just before noon roughly one mile north of the Sagamore Bridge. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the auto accident.

Sources: State Police Cruiser Strikes Construction Vehicle, TheBostonChannel.com, April 14, 2010
Highway worker hurt when cruiser hits truck on Route 3, Patriot Ledger, April 14, 2010 Continue reading

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Authorities are investigating complaints that about 10 people were exposed to asbestos at the Boston University School of Medicine. A renovation project in the locker room of the Robinson Building revealed asbestos, according to a spokesman from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

None of the people exposed to the asbestos have shown any adverse effects, but construction on the building has been shut down indefinitely.

Though it was once used for insulation and fire resistance, asbestos is considered a hazard by the Environmental Protection Agency because it has been shown to lead to cancers and lung problems. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating for safety violations.

Source: Ten people exposed to asbestos at BU Medical Campus, Boston University Daily Free Press, April 13, 2010 Continue reading

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Last week, a trench collapse killed a 56-year-old worker in Hudson, Ohio. The workplace accident also injured a 58-year-old worker who remained in serious condition at a local hospital.

Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the 15-foot-deep trench was unsafe and lacked safety protections in the area where the two workers were digging a sewer line at the time of the collapse. According to OSHA, trenches of that depth should be protected by sloping the walls or strengthening the sides with a shield or shoring materials to prevent a collapse.

OSHA is continuing to investigate the cause of the fatal construction accident.

Source: OSHA: Hudson trench lacked basic safety protections, Vindy.com, April 9, 2010 Continue reading

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Earlier this week, at least 25 workers died in an accident at a coal mine owned by Massey Energy, the country’s fourth largest coal company and the single largest coal producer in Central Appalachia. While the company’s website boasts that it has a safety record above the industry average, the Washington Post reports that the company has a history of safety violations, including roughly 50 citations last month alone.

The United States Mine Safety and Health Administration reportedly fined the company for a laundry list of safety hazards, including failure to maintain proper escape ways, the accumulation of combustible materials, and poor ventilation of dust and methane. MSHA records show that a miner died in an electrical accident in 2003 and another died in a 2001 roof fall.

Federal records show that from 2005 through Monday, the company had amassed 1,342 safety violations with a total of $1.89 million in proposed fines. Companies are permitted to contest such violations. According to federal officials, the company has contested about a third of the violations with over a million dollars in associated penalties.

Source: Massey Energy has litany of critics, violations, Washinton Post, April 6, 2010 Continue reading

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A wall collapse at an elementary school construction site has killed a 57-year-old construction worker. A gust of wind apparently blew over a cement block wall under construction, falling on the construction accident victim.

The area was experiencing severe thunderstorms at the time of the accident, and various reports showed gusts of up to 50 mph. Workers called it a freak accident.

The fatal construction accident occurred in Blairsburg, Ohio at 12:03pm Friday afternoon. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be investigating the incident.

Sources: Construction worker dies in accident at NE Hamilton Elementary School, Radio Iowa, April 2, 2010

Worker Dies In Wall Collapse Near School, KCCI.com, April 2, 2010 Continue reading

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Last week, an industrial accident in Franklin, Connecticut trapped a worker inside the cab of a skid steer after a fork lift reportedly crashed into the skid steer. It took firefighters roughly 50 minutes using cutting tools and hydraulic lifts to free the unidentified man. State police say he was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries.

The fork lift accident was reported just after 7pm on Wednesday, March 24. It occurred at a construction site for a cell phone tower near the town’s library and fire department.

A state crane inspector and a compliance officer from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the construction accident.

Site: One man injured in construction accident in Franklin, Norwich Bulletin, March 25, 2010 Continue reading

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