by

According to officials from the Massachusetts National Guard, two civilian construction workers were injured earlier this week while renovating a vacant barracks. The construction accident occurred around 9:22am on Wednesday when a cement ceiling collapsed. The workers were apparently dismantling part of the suspended plaster and concrete ceiling in a first-floor bathroom.

One of the workers sustained non-life-threatening injuries to his back and knee. He was reportedly taken to Falmouth Hospital. The other suffered a serious but non-life-threatening head injury and was flown to a hospital in Boston.

The names of the injured workers have not been released and officials from OSHA plan to investigate the scene of the accident to determine if any there were any health or safety violations.

Source: Camp Edwards ceiling collapse injures two, Cape Cod Times, February 18, 2010 Continue reading

by

According to a new study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, patients receiving workers’ compensation who are treated for back pain related to a herniated disk experience better results with nonsurgical treatment. Depending on the individual case, nonsurgical treatment options can include pain-relieving drugs, home exercise, and/or physical therapy.

Overall, patients tend to experience better results from surgery up to two years after treatment, but those receiving workers’ compensation received “no added benefit” from surgery. Those patients who underwent surgery had pain and physical function that was similar to those who’d had nonsurgical treatments. The percentage of patients returning to work or placed on disability was similar across the board, regardless of surgery or nonsurgical treatment and regardless of workers’ compensation status.

Sciatica related to herniated disks is a common reason for workers’ comp claims and it can be disabling.

Source: Workers’ Compensation Patients Benefit Less from Back Surgery, ClaimsJournal.com, February 3, 2010 Continue reading

by

On Sunday morning, a power plant under construction exploded into flames, killing at least five workers in Middletown. Officials are unsure of what caused the explosion, but it occurred around 11:17am while workers were testing the plant’s connection to a natural gas pipeline.

The mayor of Middletown said they were not able to determine exactly how many workers were onsite at the time of the explosion, because many of them were subcontractors. Because the construction accident occurred on a weekend, there were believed to be about 60 workers at that time.

The names of those dead were not released, because authorities still need to notify the families. This construction site explosion happened less than a week after federal regulators called for stricter safety measures during the installation and maintenance of gas pipes.

Source: At least 5 dead in power plant explosion, NewsTimes.com, February 7, 2010 Continue reading

by

An East Boston-based contractor has been cited by OSHA for over two dozen alleged violations of workplace safety regulations. OSHA inspectors twice discovered workers exposed to fall hazards while working on a building at the intersection of Saratoga and Meridian Streets in East Boston.

The first inspection took place on August 21, 2009, when OSHA observed workers exposed to 26-foot falls from a makeshift work platform. Inspectors visited the work site again on September 9, 2009 and watched as workers were subjected to similar hazards. According to OSHA’s area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts, the workers could have needlessly died or been seriously injured as a result of these safety violations.

The proposed fines total $54,250.

Source: Makeshift Scaffold, Other Dangers Add up to $54K Fine for Contractor, OHSOnline.com, January 26, 2010 Continue reading

by

Last year, a Massachusetts construction accident injured four workers when a ladder jack scaffold gave way. Following the accident in August, 2009, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated and discovered that the contractor had violated safety regulations. As a result, OSHA has proposed almost $55,000 in fines.

According to authorities from OSHA, the ladder jack scaffold bore too much weight and was beyond capacity. The workers also lacked protective head and eye gear, as well as training on scaffolding and fall protection. In addition, misused, damaged or inadequate extension ladders had created fall hazards.

OSHA cites employers when their unsafe work environment creates a high risk of death or injury due to lack of training or safety precautions. The company has fifteen business days from receipt of the citations to comply, contest the findings, or take part in an informal conference with OSHA’s area director.

Source: OSHA fines Legacy Builders 15 violations after Boston construction accident, NewYorkInjuryNews.com, February 2, 2010 Continue reading

by

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has compiled data on work-related injuries and illnesses since 1996. Now the agency has made that information public through a searchable online database which allows people to look at company and industry-specific data on injury and illness.

The data is used by OSHA to calculate illness and injury incidence rates. These rates inform OSHA’s strategic plan and allow the agency to focus its Site Specific Targeting (SST) Program. According to the Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, making this information public is part of the presidential administration’s commitment to transparency.

Users can go to Data.gov or OSHA.gov to view an establishment’s name, address, associated Total Case Rate (TCR), Days Away from Work (DAFWII) case rate, and other information. However, the database does not include rates calculated by OSHA for companies submitted unreliable or questionable dadta.

Source: OSHA releases workplace injury and illness data, ReliablePlant.com, January, 2010 Continue reading

by

A Methuen-based contractor has received 23 citations with proposed fines of $166,950 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for trench safety hazards at two Massachusetts worksites, one in Quincy and one in Lynnfield. OSHA’s citations include alleged willful, serious, and other-than-serious violations of safety standards.

During inspections, OSHA discovered workers at both locations who were exposed to cave-in hazards while working in trenches more than 6 feet deep. In Quincy, the workers were also exposed to struck-by hazards from material stored at a trench’s edge, and the trench was missing a safe means of exit. In addition, access ladders were damaged or misused, and OSHA found an incomplete injuries and illnesses log.

The contractor has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, contest the findings, or participate in an informal conference with OSHA’s area director.

Source: Contractor Cited for Treacherous Trenching, OHSonline.com, January 29, 2010 Continue reading

by

On Tuesday, a construction accident in Massachusetts injured several people. When Lowell police responded to the emergency call, they found that bricks had fallen from the fourth floor and hit a worker who was on a scaffolding on the second floor of a redevelopment project.

The injured worker was conscious when medical crews arrived at the scene. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, but the extent of his injuries have been disclosed. A police officer, two firefighters, and an emergency medical responder suffered minor injuries at the scene of the accident. It is now known if they taken to the hospital.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says it plans to investigate the construction accident.

Source: Four injured at Lowell construction accident site, NewYorkInjuryNews.com, January 27, 2010 Continue reading

by

The widow of a Massachusetts police officer says the stress of the job led her husband to take his own life in 2006. The police officer had been injured during an overtime shift in 1993 and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder the following year. Despite signs that the officer was crumbling under the stress, he was cleared for duty after a psychiatric evaluation.

His widow took her case to the state retirement board, which ruled that her husband’s death was “accidental,” meaning she would get 72% of his pension. Had he been killed in the line of duty, she would have gotten 100% of his pension, plus a one-time payment of almost $100,000. While the ruling does create a connection between the officer’s on-the-job injuries and his eventual suicide, his widow wants her husband’s death to be ruled “line of duty.” She would also like his name to be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

Suicide among police officers is a major issue that results in more deaths than homicides or accidents at work.

Source: The police suicide problem, Boston Sunday Globe Magazine, January 24, 2010 Continue reading

by

A construction accident on Tuesday morning at Purdue University’s Mackey Area left a construction worker with arm injuries, cuts, and bruises after the worker fell about ten feet.

He was treated at St. Elizabeth Central Hospital, according to a university spokesperson who would not release the worker’s name. The spokesperson did say the injured worker was pulling metal decking from “penthouse level” when he stepped through a hole and fell roughly 10 feet from the fourth floor to the third floor. It took an aerial truck and about 15 minutes to remove the worker.

A safety manager was reportedly on-site to examine the scene of the accident.

Source: Worker injured at Mackey work site, JCOnline.com, January 20, 2010 Continue reading

Contact Information
Cambridge, MA
Main Office
675 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: 617.492.3000Fax: 617.491.3299Toll Free: 800.481.6199
Boston, MA
1 State St
Suite 2
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: 617.547.1205Toll Free: 800.481.6199
Needham, MA
250 First Avenue 2nd Floor
Needham, MA 02494
Phone: 781.675.2329Toll Free: 800.481.6199

Some Select Cases are referred to other attorneys for principal responsibility

By publishing this information on this Website, the Boston, Massachusetts law firm of Altman & Altman LLP is not claiming to represent any clients or cases mentioned here. The content provided is designed to inform readers and is not intended as legal advice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2025, Altman & Altman LLP
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design