The agency that handles workplace safety hasn’t done enough to confront COVID-19 offenses, according to a recent investigative report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). COVID-19 is the biggest workplace safety challenge in the history of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), yet the agency has taken only limited action during the pandemic, missing […]

Employees who contract the coronavirus at work will be hard pressed to file a successful workers’ compensation claim, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. At issue is whether they are able to prove that they caught the virus at work. While claims specify unsafe work conditions as causes of COVID-19 infections, […]

Slips, trips and falls are the leading cause of lost work time in the oil and gas industry, according to a recent report in Occupational Health & Safety. Working outside on slippery surfaces, operating heavy equipment for long hours, and navigating around cords and cables can all contribute to these kinds of accidents. In all, […]

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is marking half a century of workplace safety oversight, despite having fewer enforcement resources than in its 50-year history, according to a recent report. OSHA was created in 1970 with a law signed into effect by President Richard Nixon with a mission to protect workers from hazards on […]

The agency responsible for making sure workplaces are safe has found hundreds of violations related to coronavirus since the pandemic began, according to a news release from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the United States Department of Labor. In just one week, from November 6th through the 12th, OSHA conducted 29 inspections […]

COVID-19 has forced employers to rethink workplace safety. While precautions have traditionally focused on physical injuries, as employees return to work amid the pandemic, employers must implement new safety measures, according to a recent report. The report cited statistics from the Bureau of Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, saying COVID must now be added […]

Workers’ compensation laws are designed to protect both the employer and employee if a worker is injured on the job. While the laws vary from state to state, they are meant to ensure that workers receive compensation for when they are hurt in a workplace accident or setting, and that companies are subject only to […]

In Pennsylvania, the law limits when you can sue the state or a municipality, including the City of Philadelphia. The concept of “sovereign immunity” provides a defense for both the state, or Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and municipal governments, unless a statutory exception applies. The exceptions to the state’s immunity are detailed at 42 Pa.C.S. § […]

One of the determinations to be made before filing a lawsuit is where can each of the parties be sued so as to determine where a lawsuit is best filed. Recently, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania held that general jurisdiction by consent my be established where a defendant’s only contact with Pennsylvania is the defendant’s […]

The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act aims to ensure that workers are provided for financially if they get hurt on the job. Ironically, large corporations are using the Act to shield themselves from responsibility when their negligence causes a worker’s injury. Companies use Section 203 of the Act to claim the status of “statutory employer.” Under […]