Personal injury lawyer warns of 10 deadliest jobs and other unsafe work environments

Thousands of workers die from injuries inflicted at work each year. According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), 4,405 workers died on the job in 2013. Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA said that “making a living shouldn’t have to cost you your life. Safe jobs happen because employers make the choice to fulfill their responsibilities to protect their workers.”

MSN News recently published America’s 10 Deadliest Jobs. The job with the highest fatality rate according to that list is Loggers. This is the 2nd year that loggers have topped the list of fatal jobs.

Here is the complete list of America’s 10 Deadliest Jobs, 2013
1. Logging Workers
2. Fishers And Related Fishing Workers
3. Aircraft Pilots And Flight Engineers
4. Roofers
5. Refuse And Recyclable Material Collectors
6. […]

OSHA tightens standards on workplace injury reporting

Last month, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) strengthened the rules that required businesses to report serious workplace injuries and fatalities. Their goal is to uncover workplace hazards faster and fix problems sooner by requiring companies to report more on-the-job injuries to federal regulators.

According to OSHAs revised safety rule, effective January 1, 2015, companies will be required to report all work-related in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and eye losses within 24 hours. Current laws only require employers to report in-patient hospitalizations if three or more employees are affected, and amputations and eye losses do not have to be reported. Remaining unchanged is the requirement that employers report work-related fatalities within eight hours.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) preliminary 2013 workplace fatality data found that 4,405 workers were killed on the job in the US in 2013. That translates to an average of 85 deaths per week or 12 deaths every day. […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer says untrained teens in summer jobs are an injury risk

With the end of the school year upon us, many young people are taking on summer jobs. According to the United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Young workers, ages 14-24, are at a high risk of workplace injury because of their inexperience at work and their physical, cognitive and emotional developmental characteristics. They often hesitate to ask questions and may fail to recognize workplace dangers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that up to 80% of high school students work at least sometime throughout the course of a year, with many working during the summer. Young workers are employed in various industries and may engage in tasks that expose them to different workplace hazards, including operating dangerous tools, machinery, and vehicles, and handling cash in settings prone to robbery. Employers many not fully understand the laws or they may not recognize that these inexperienced workers need special attention. […]

OSHA issues planto help reduce workplace accidents, deaths

OSHA recently announced this year’s Site-Specific Targeting (SST) plan for general industry employers with 20 or more employees. The primary inspection list for federal OSHA jurisdiction will be comprised of 1,260 establishments in what the agency describes as high-hazard, non-construction industries.

It is OSHA’s goal that the inspection plan will reduce the number of injuries and illnesses that occur at individual workplaces by directing enforcement resources to workplaces with the highest rates of illness and injury. OSHA said the plan is based on survey data of 80,000 employers in high-hazard industries.

Those industries surveyed and targeted, include manufacturing, trucking, warehousing, air transportation and courier services, automobiles, construction materials, scarp and waste, groceries, poultry products, department stores and medical facilities. Among other things, the directive provides a checklist for compliance safety and health officers and provides scheduling and inspection procedures. […]

Construction Accidents Leading Cause of On-The-Job Fatalities

Construction work increases with the start of the warmer weather months in the Northeast and Mid Atlantic states. The job of a construction worker continues to be one of the toughest, and getting the right safety training and equipment can mean the difference between life and death.

The injuries that can result from construction accidents can be catastrophic and include spine and back injuries as well as traumatic brain injuries. According to the US Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), 4383 workers were killed on the job in 2012. Out of 3945 worker fatalities in private industry in 2012, nearly 20% were in construction. The leading cause of worker deaths on construction sites was falls.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics U.S. Department of Labor reported that nearly 3 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported by private industry employers in 2012, […]