Florida updates in category: Workplace Injuries

They are men with an average age of 35. That's who is most likely to be injured by a nail gun. It sounds like a pretty good excuse to get out of home repairs to me.Duke University researchers find the number of do-it-yourselfers who are unintentionally injuring themselves with multiple firing nail guns, more than tripled between 1991 and 2005. 14,800 per year were recorded according to the...

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It's a dubious distinction. Florida hit the highest number of job-related accidents, mainly around construction sites in 2004. 422 died on the workplace, according to the state. That's more than one a day. You can thank our multi-billion dollar building industry. The numbers were down but not much better in 2005 -- 404 -- still the second highest fatality count. White and hispanic males top...

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When an employer decides to take unreasonable risks in order to save money, it is usually the employees who suffer the consequences. This Missouri Workers' Compensation decision shows how terrible those consequences can be. And, how unreasonable some employers can be in the pursuit of a little more profit."Exclusive Remedy" in the Tank: A Sad Missouri SagaEric Burns drove a cement truck for...

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An unusual steel base probably caused a 210-foot tower crane to collapse in Bellevue last fall, killing a man, according to a source familiar with the state investigation. Investigators have determined that operator error was not a factor.The Seatle Times reported today that the state Department of Labor and Industries examined several other possible factors in the Nov. 16 accident including...

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The headline caught my attention. The World's Safest Table Saw Then, the brief article intrigued me. A table saw will slice your fingers off in a second if you're not paying attention. Saw Stop's ingenious system prevents the loss of fingers.But, the You Tube video linked to this article sealed the deal. Could this be the equivalent of the Dead Man's Switch on fork lifts and train engines? ...

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Today you can be a Health & Safety Executive. That's the name of a British website dealing with the full range of health and safety concerns in the employment world. One example of the depth and focus of the website is Illustrated case studiesHealth & Safety Executive (HSE) has put together some 'before-and-after' examples to help you think and talk about vehicle safety in your workplace and...

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The flagmen of the world keep us safe. They slow us down and guide us though construction sites. But, who is keeping them safe? Flagman hurt when he's hit by cement truckA flagman at a Fort Lauderdale construction site was rushed to the hospital this morning after being run over by a cement truck, authorities and witnesses said.It happened at the Trump International Hotel and Tower off of...

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It seems every year brings its allotment of trench collapses which kill or seriously injure workers in Florida. After watching this tragedy for over 30 years and undertaking representation of a number of victims and their families my partners and I believe the OSHA standard for trenching is simply not on the reading list for some employers. Maybe they would prefer to read what was said about...

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The Grand Rapids Press carries the story of a seriously injured rail worker who was a awarded over $1 Million in damages against CSX Railroad.Rail worker receives $1.1 million verdictGRAND RAPIDS -- With 24 years in at CSX Railroad in Grand Rapids, Reginald Booker planned to finish his career as a carman there. Instead, he found himself fighting the company after he was nearly crushed underneath...

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At Confined Space, an example of the media's approach to workplace injures and deaths is posted.Is It Possible To Provide Less Information?Need I say any more about the problems with media reports of workplace injury and death?Tyson worker dies at Emporia plantThe Capital-JournalPublished Saturday, January 06, 2007EMPORIA -- A male employee at the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Emporia died after he...

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A post at Confined Space about so-called Worker Error sums up my opinion after years of investigating and litigating claims arising from the workplace in Florida. Surprise: Employer Finds "Worker Error" To Blame For FatalityWhy is this not surprising? Employer investigates employee's death. And the cause is? Worker error, of course.Bottom Line: Blaming workers (even foremen) for accidents is...

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The New York Times reports on a decision by the Ohio Supreme Court that makes no sense under the no-fault-based workers' compensation system in that state and in Florida. Ohio Ruling Denying Pay in Job Injury Draws Debate The Ohio Supreme Court has upheld a KFC franchise's petition to deny workers' compensation payments to a teenage boy who was severely burned while cleaning a pressure cooker,...

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Here is a pop quiz from Confined Spaces. It reminds us it is not only accidents which are killing and injuring workers in America today.Violence Continues To Injure And Kill WorkersAlthough workplace violence has fallen from the second leading cause of death in the workplace to fourth, it remains a major source of injuries and fatalities in the workplace.A couple of good new studies on workplace...

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For too many years I have confronted judges and juries who appear to believe that a worker should simply have refused to perform a particular work assignment because he or she could plainly see it was unsafe. Confined Space posts an article that expresses my frustration with the so-called voluntary assumption of the risk by employees."Do what you're told, or take the chance of being fired." If...

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Injuries on the job occur daily. You work hard but what happens if you're hurt on the job and can't work? Just like that, you're without income and have no way to make ends meetAll 50 states require employers with 4 or more part-time or full-time employees to provide worker's compensation insurance. Worker's compensation is very tricky. In 1994, Florida legislature amended the workers'...

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