Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Lawyers Blog

Every day, many blue collar workers wake up early in the morning to provide for themselves and their families. Many of these men and women work long hours to earn a living. People who are working hard during the week have a right to be safe and unharmed while performing their jobs. Unfortunately, some workers still are subjected to unsafe working conditions at their jobs. Some people are severely injured and even killed while working on the job due to hazardous working environments.

A construction worker from Texas was injured in July of 2015 after being buried in an 8 foot trench below ground where he was working. This incident caused this worker to be severely injured and hospitalized. The trench collapsed again shortly after the man was rescued from it. The employer failed to keep their employees safe. The construction company of the injured worker employs 150 people. Many other workers from this company could have been hurt or killed because of these unsafe working conditions and lack of procedures. This company is responsible for any safety violations that occur in their place of business. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, trench collapses and cave-ins are preventable. This construction company has apparently been cited for at least 16 safety violations and fines up to $400,000.

People working in dangerous and unsafe environments should be taken very seriously. Incidents like one in Texas can cause severe injury and even death. All workers should be safe at all times when performing their jobs. Serious injuries that people obtain from these incidents can affect a person’s work and daily life. At O’Connor Law, we want all workers to be secure when they enter their work place. We believe companies that do not follow the proper safety procedures to make their employees safe like the one from Texas should be fully responsible for their actions. You should call us for a free case review if you have been involved in injuries such as this. We are here to fight and protect your rights.

A huge part of people’s lives is spent at work. So there is a good chance of being injured at work. To prevent injury, one should follow company policies and OSHA safety standards. They should also wear proper safety gear when required and be properly trained at what they are doing. Even after being careful and following safety rules, there is still a possibility of a workplace injury. Accidents can happen in an instant or even over time.

In Washington, a woman filed a claim for workers’ compensation with the Department of Labor and Industry. The claim was for chemical exposure during the course of her employment with The Boeing Company. The exposure permanently aggravated her preexisting asthma, and she needed ongoing medical treatment as a result of these combined injuries. The department determined that the combined effects of the claimant’s preexisting asthma and the aggravation of this condition during her Boeing employment rendered her permanently totally disabled.

How did she know the chemical exposure would aggravate her asthma? She might not have known she was being exposed. Many chronic illnesses occur long after exposure has ended and are generally not identified as work-related. Because of this it is important to have a lawyer on your side. You need an experienced lawyer who understands workers’ compensation law, a lawyer that will fight for the rights of the injured. Call our office for a free consultation and case review.

One of the easiest ways to lose your workers’ compensation benefits and any chance of a settlement is for the injured worker to quit their job. Many people do not think this will affect their benefits.

Many people who are on light duty work or are not working at all because of their injury get sick of dealing with the stress and pressure they are receiving from their management and they quit. This is one of the worst mistakes you can make. You can lose all coverage and chances to recover anything from your case.

If you are under pressure or feel you aren’t being treated fairly by the management at the company, you should speak to a certified workers’ compensation specialist about how you can handle the situation, or how they can help you as a barrier between yourself, your employer and their insurance company.

With the weather warming up many of us know that this means construction season is starting back up. While for a lot of residents across PA this means traffic backups and a lot of loud noise, for some of the hardest working people in our state this means they will be getting back out to work in the outdoors repairing and building our roadways, buildings and other large scale projects.

With this time of productivity comes some inherent dangers for our men and women in construction. Road crews will be working just a few feet away from drivers, building crews will be walking the tops of structures, and many other dangerous situations will take place that are unfortunately necessary for the work to get done.

Common on the job injuries during the summer months include heat stroke, dehydration, car accidents, falls and more. If you do work outdoors, remember to stay hydrated and stay cool as dehydration and overheating can lead to slower reaction times, loss of balance and other difficulties that can make you more likely to become injured at work.

Construction work is one of the most physically demanding jobs there is. These men and women have literally built our homes, cities and country from the ground up. Unfortunately this is also one of the most dangerous jobs there is.

According to OSHA about 20% of all fatal work accidents each year occur in construction. The “fatal four” are the 4 types of accidents that are the most dangerous for construction workers. Falls, being struck by objects, electrocutions and getting trapped between objects end the lives of almost 500 construction workers yearly.

Even though the standards set by OSHA to protect construction workers are strict and their penalties are steep, many companies around the country still cut corners and end up leaving their employees in dangerous and even fatal situations while they try to save money.

A PA workers’ compensation panel ruled this week that the Pittsburgh Steelers must pay Chukky Okobi $779 per week in workers’ compensation benefits for injuries that prevent him from playing in the NFL, and $22,000 in other benefits. His career was ended due to back, neck and arm injuries.

Okobi was on the Steelers team from 2001-2007. He then played shortly for the Cardinals and the Texans before ending his career.

Many people wouldn’t think of a sports injury as something that would be covered by workers’ compensation, but that’s not the case. If you are paid to play sports, and an injury makes you unable to work, that is a work injury and should be covered by workers’ compensation.