When working for an employer, one can expect that the company will place employee safety first. Keeping in mind that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also placing employee and workplace safety first, most can expect a workplace or job site that demands safety and follows safety guidelines and best practices. When an employer knowingly defies laws that are in place to keep its workers safe, the Pennsylvania workers’ compensation program is in place to help those injured, or their surviving family members in the event of a fatality, financially when loss of income results from a workplace injury.
A supply company has been formally charged in willfully violating OSHA requirements, which subsequently led to the death of an employee. The company’s business is bridge rehabilitation. When the company contracted with the PennDOT to fix a bridge in a nearby county, the company did not have in place the required safety nets to prevent a trench collapse.
The employee went into one of the trenches to remove some soil. The trench, at the time, was reported to be at least twelve feet deep and not secured in any fashion. The walls of the trench collapsed and buried the employee chest deep in soil. The man was killed instantly from the massive trauma that resulted from the collapse.
When an employee is injured while on the job, the Pennsylvania workers’ compensation program is available to help lessen the financial gap that the loss of income can create. When a loved one loses his or her life as a result of work-related injuries, workers’ compensation provides survivors’ benefits to surviving spouses and dependent children. When filing a claim, seeking the advice of an attorney may be beneficial to help speed the process, and a lawyer can be on hand to file any appeals for denied claims, if necessary.
Source: workerscompensation.com, “PA Company Charged With Committing An OSHA Violation That Resulted In A Worker’s Death“, March 14, 2018