Workers’ comp important for employees injured in work accidents

Arizona employers have a responsibility to make the workplace as safe and free from potential hazards as possible. In fact, a federal agency known as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigates work accidents to figure out what happened and whether the employer violated any safety guidelines. Moreover, injured workers are typically entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to cover medical expenses and income lost while recovering. The surviving family members of a worker killed on-the-job are likewise entitled to survivor’ benefits through the same state-regulated insurance system.

In another state, a contract company is facing fines after an OSHA investigation into a workplace accident. Two employees were injured in a fall while working on a bridge. According to reports, the first employee fell through a ladder opening to land on the second employee 40 feet below.

OSHA investigators discovered a number of safety violations that put other employees at risk. At least two of the violations were considered “willful,” carrying penalties of up to $70,000. In total, the contracting company is facing citations totaling $189,000 for numerous safety violations.

Hopefully, the citations and fines will motivate the company to improve its safety precautions to prevent future work accidents. However, it is too late for the two workers who were already injured on the job. Thankfully, most injured employees can rely on workers’ compensation when they are injured at work. Occasionally, though, insurance companies are reticent to provide the full amount of benefits that injured workers need and deserve, which is when the counsel and representation of an experienced Arizona workers’ compensation attorney can prove invaluable.

Source: katu.com, “Contractor in Ross Island Bridge restoration fined $189,000 for safety violations“, June 19, 2017

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