Massachusetts Workers' Compensation Lawyer Blog

August 22, 2023

The 10 Most Dangerous Jobs in America

While anyone can get hurt on the job, certain professions are significantly more hazardous than others. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a total of 5,190 fatal work injuries occurred across industries and regions in the United States in 2021. The following jobs represent the 10 civilian occupations with the highest fatal work injury rates (out of 100,000 full-time equivalent workers).

Logging Workers

With a staggering fatal injury rate of 82 per 100,000, logging workers have the most dangerous job in America. Loggers tend to work on isolated sites with variable weather conditions, where they face falling debris and contact with heavy machinery. In fact, loggers died at a rate almost 23 times greater than the average across all professions in 2021 (3.6 out of 100,000).

August 15, 2023

The Biggest OSHA Fines of Q2 2023

by Altman & Altman

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspects tens of thousands of worksites a year. While typically under half of those inspections (44% in 2022) are programmed to target hazardous industries and operations, the rest result from specific events like employee complaints, injuries, fatalities, and referrals.

Any safety violations encountered during an OSHA visit can result in a citation, which typically comes with a fine. In January of 2023, OSHA increased its maximum civil penalty from $14,502 to $15,625 per violation. For repeated or willful violations, the maximum fine increased from $145,027 to $156,259 per violation.

Employers With the Most Costly OSHA Violations in Q2

August 3, 2023

MA Workers Dying in Alarming Numbers, Report Finds

by Altman & Altman

Dangerous jobs continued to hurt and kill workers in “alarming numbers” last year, according to a report by the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) and the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Specifically, the report found that 51 workers suffered job-related fatalities in 2022. Although this represented a drop from the Commonwealth’s 62 workplace deaths in 2021, the report noted that many such fatalities are preventable.

Workplace Injuries and Deaths in Massachusetts

Published in April, the report showed that 39 workers died of traumatic work injuries and 12 died of work-related disease in 2022. The true numbers may be much higher, however, because the data does not include all people who died after contracting COVID on the job. In addition, injuries and illnesses are not always reported or properly recorded.

June 21, 2023

OSHA Launches New Program to Prevent Falls at Work

by Altman & Altman

Falls are a leading cause of workplace fatalities and serious injuries across industries in the US. In 2021, 850 workers died from accidents involving slips, trips, and falls, with 680 dying specifically from falls to lower elevations. In addition to being one of the most significant causes of workplace deaths, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are also one of the most preventable.

As a result, OSHA recently announced a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) to reduce or eliminate injuries and fatalities associated with falls. NEPs are special temporary programs that target particular hazards or hazardous industries. To accomplish its fall prevention goals, OSHA will use a combination of enforcement, employer outreach, and compliance assistance.

Which Industries Will OSHA Target?

August 8, 2022

Is It Too Late to File a Workers’ Compensation Claim in Massachusetts?

by Altman & Altman

If you thought you missed your chance to file a Massachusetts workers’ comp claim, you may be in luck: the Commonwealth has one of the longest workers’ compensation time limits in the nation. Unlike Michigan, where claims must be filed within two years of the injury, or Arizona, which has a one-year statute of limitations, Massachusetts allows you to file within four years of the date you learned your injury was job related. In the case of a fatal work injury, eligible dependents can file workers’ compensation death benefit claims within four years of the employee’s date of death.

What Causes Delayed Filings of Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Claims?

In order to qualify for workers’ compensation benefits in Massachusetts, you must be disabled for five full or partial calendar days (not necessarily consecutive). At that point, your employer should notify the Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) of your injury. If you are disabled for less than five days, your employer can file a “medical only” claim with their insurance company.

June 22, 2022

OSHA Worksite Safety Inspections in Massachusetts

by Altman & Altman

Designed to promote employee health and safety, OSHA standards aim to reduce injuries from foreseeable hazards in the workplace. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations govern over 130 million workers at 8 million worksites across the United States. While covered employers should always follow OSHA standards, inspections happen only occasionally, such as when a severe injury occurs, someone files a complaint, or a work site has high rates of injury or is part of a high-hazard industry.

Most Common Massachusetts Workplace OSHA Violations of 2021

Each year, the federal agency publishes a list of the 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards following inspections. According to OSHA, far too many preventable workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths are related to these top 10 standards.

May 24, 2022

Amazon Warehouse Workplace Accidents Are A Common Occurrence – We Can Help.

by Altman & Altman

The Injury Machine? Workplace Accidents at Amazon Warehouses

Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world and the second-largest employer in the country. Unfortunately, it also leads the field in a less favorable category: warehouse injuries.

Amazon workers suffer serious injuries at over twice the rate of other warehouse employees, according to a report by the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC). While Amazon employs one-third of all the warehouse workers in the U.S., it is responsible for nearly half of all warehouse injuries.

May 4, 2022

Compensation for Workplace Electrocution Accidents in Massachusetts

by Altman & Altman

Electricity is a powerful force. In the wrong circumstances, anyone who comes in contact with it can be hurt or even killed. But for workers in certain industries, accidental electrocution is an occupational hazard faced every day.

Around 2,200 electrical injuries annually force U.S. workers to take time off the job. What’s worse, an average of 175 workers die each year from injuries caused by electrocution. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International, “contact with/exposure to electric current” is the seventh leading cause of workplace fatalities.

Industries with High Rates of Electrocution Injury

May 4, 2022

Repetitive Movement Injuries at Work

by Altman & Altman

When you think about serious job-related injuries, what comes to mind? Transportation accidents? Trips and falls? Fires and explosions? While all of those do occur, one of the most common causes of workplace injury is much less dramatic: repetitive movement.

Simply performing the same task over and over can result in damaged nerves, tendons, muscles, and joints. And the impact on the U.S. workforce is considerable. Injuries caused by repetitive motions cost employers an estimated $20 billion annually in workers’ compensation.

Types of Repetitive Movement Injuries at Work

August 27, 2020

What are the major causes of excavator injuries at construction sites in Massachusetts?

by Altman & Altman

Excavator Injuries

Between 1992 and 2000, the National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health (NIOSH) identified 346 deaths caused by excavators or backhoe loaders in the united states. The data found that the most common causes of injury were

Being struck by the machine or parts of the machine while the machine was in motion; and