Workman’s Compensation
OSHA Encourages Workplaces to Address the “Fatal Four” Causes of Accidents
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible for setting and enforcing workplace safety standards in millions of workplaces throughout the United States. OSHA is therefore responsible for the safety of 130 million workers, as well as for collecting data on workplace deaths, injuries, and accidents in order to measure whether safety regulations and enforcement are working.
In 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 4,585 workers lost their lives in workplace accidents nationwide. In other words, about 88 people per week or 12 people per day were killed on the job in the United States in 2013. These numbers are the second-lowest for any year on record. Nevertheless, as every experienced Oklahoma City injury lawyer has seen, even a single death or catastrophic injury is one too many.
Read more about OSHA Encourages Workplaces to Address the “Fatal Four” Causes of Accidents
Oklahoma City Oil Rig Worker Killed on the Job
An Oklahoma City oil rig worker was killed after he was pinned under a piece of equipment. According to a KOCO news report, officers say a hydraulic line broke at an oil rig site in the 3400 block of Southeast 59th. Several workers were at the site,but only one worker was under the pipe when it collapsed. Officers say the force was so strong that the worker was pinned underneath it. He died at the scene despite other workers’ efforts to resuscitate him. The Department of Health and Safety will conduct an investigation in order to determine if proper procedures were followed.
Injuries on oil rigs are extremely common. Oil rig workers take on long and rigorous shifts. Oil rig accidents may be caused by failing equipment, working mandatory overtime without rest, and being expected to follow unsafe procedures. Employers are expected to provide oil rig workers with a safe working environment. Workers should also be properly trained for the jobs they are required to perform. In addition, workers should be provided with safety equipment that is necessary to perform the job.
Read more about Oklahoma City Oil Rig Worker Killed on the Job
OSHA Fines Oklahoma Company for Serious Safety Violations
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Oklahoma-based Zaloudek Grain Company for four serious safety violations following an injury accident involving two 17-year-olds. According to an OSHA news alert, the teenagers had to have their legs amputated after they became caught in an inadequately guarded conveyor auger. The young workers were cleaning out a grain flat storage structure in late August when the accident occurred.
OSHA investigators concluded that the company failed to attach the machine guard, ensure that the storage structure’s exit was unobstructed, provide exit signs from the structure, and give specific training for workers who are assigned to enter these grain structures. The company faces about $21,500 in OSHA fines.
Read more about OSHA Fines Oklahoma Company for Serious Safety Violations
Four Workers Injured in Oklahoma Plant Explosion
Four employees sustained injuries in an explosion at an Edmond manufacturing business, which officials say was caused by a dust cloud and a kerosene heater. According to a news report in The Edmond Sun, the workers were trying to clear an obstruction in one of the machines at the plant when it became clogged. At the time, a pipe became disconnected and a polymer, which is a type of powdery substance, was released creating a dust cloud. The dust reached an industrial space heater, which operates on kerosene and had an open flame. This sparked the explosion. Four workers suffered burn injuries. Two of the employees suffered severe burns. The facility has been shut down pending an official investigation.
Burn injuries, in addition to being extremely painful, can also be extremely expensive to treat. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a total of 4,547 people were killed in work-related accidents in the United States. Of those, 187 fatalities were caused by fires and explosions.
Read more about Four Workers Injured in Oklahoma Plant Explosion
Two Teens Seriously Injured in Grain Auger Accident in Kremlin
Two 17-year-old boys working at Zaloudek Grain Company in Kremlin, OK, sustained serious leg injuries and remain in critical condition after an accident involving a grain auger. The teenagers are high school seniors from different schools, both on the honor roll and active in sports; one attends Kremlin-Hillsdale High School and the other goes to Chisholm High School.
Emergency responders received a frantic 911 call the morning of August 4 from a representative at Zaloudek, according to the report, stating that there was a “kid in an auger.” A grain auger is an industrial metal platform system used to move grain from the ground to higher levels in the factory or to trucks. Emergency personnel from the Kremlin Fire Department were the first to arrive and were supported by neighboring departments to rescue the teenagers. Among the officials who provided service at the scene were members of the Hillsdale-Carrier, Enid, Breckinridge, Hunter, and Pond Creek fire departments, Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, Life EMS, Garfield County Emergency Management office, and EagleMed.
Read more about Two Teens Seriously Injured in Grain Auger Accident in Kremlin
Legislators Seek to Change Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation
New legislation is being sought to improve the way workers’ compensation lawsuits are treated in Oklahoma, according to an article on NewsOK.com. The governor of Oklahoma addressed the House and the Senate recently regarding her proposal to change the way personal injury lawsuits are handled in order to help injured workers in a more timely manner.
The governor stated that with the way things are now, Oklahoma workers’ compensation costs are too high and claims are not processed quickly enough. Currently, the state has roughly 170,000 open workers’ compensation claims. The governor wants to see a hard cap set for non-economic damages at $250,000 which would include pain and suffering. At this time, there is no cap; however, a bill was passed two years ago that would place a $400,000 cap on all negligence cases if legislators passed an indemnity fund, which would cover jury awards over that amount. No fund has been created thus far.
Read more about Legislators Seek to Change Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation
West Virginia Coal Mine Explosion Kills at Least 25
According to Oklahoma City’s koco.com, an underground explosion took the lives of at least 25 miners working in West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch mine. The explosion may have likely been caused by a buildup of methane gases. This accumulation may have resulted from improper ventilation. It is suspected that the explosion was ignited by a spark of some kind. Reportedly, the mining company who operates the coal mine, Massey Energy, has a less than stellar track record when it comes to employee safety.
Massey Energy is one of the largest coal producers in the country, owning 2.2 billion tons of coal reserves throughout West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. However, in the past year, the coal company has been hit with federal inspector fines totaling more than $382,000 for multiple repeat infractions pertaining to improper venting techniques and venting equipment at the Upper Big Branch location. If methane gas is not allowed to properly vent, a buildup of the combustible can be ignited with the slightest spark of electricity.
Read more about West Virginia Coal Mine Explosion Kills at Least 25