Our Massachusetts workplace injury lawyers recently read an editorial written by The Enterprise about the need for greater workplace safety precautions. The article calls for stiffer penalties against employers who violate safety guidelines, because in some cases it’s cheaper for employers to simply pay the fines than actually fix the problem.
While the average OSHA fine in Massachusetts is $13,300, more than half the employers who were fined last year settled their cases for less than $10,000. A third paid only $5,000.
Many of the companies with workplace deaths last year had already received citations for safety violations. For instance, a 51-year-old Stoughton man died in a forklift accident at a Taunton warehouse last August, and OSHA records show that the company was cited for three forklift violations the previous year. These incidents underscore the sad economics involved with many fatal workplace accidents.
Source: OPINION: Accidents shine light on workplace safety, The Enterprise, May 5, 2010
Contact a Massachusetts wrongful death attorney if you have lost a loved one in a forklift accident, a fire, or other avoidable workplace hazard.