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Work Related Injury
While worker health and safety conditions have generally improved during the last 40 years, many workers remain at serious risk of injury, illness or death. Estimates of the number of workers hurt on the job range from 4 to 14 million annually, with harms including traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, amputations, burns, and electrocutions. Worker fatalities from accidents and disease total 20,000 to 60,000 per year. Not surprisingly, 85% of employees rank worker safety first in importance among labor standards.
“Everyone deserves a safe place to work and the ability to come home to their families in good health at night.”
Industrial accidents and workplace injuries are reported almost daily in the news. Whether involving numerous workers or only one, the cost in human suffering can be profound. 
Causes of Work Related Accidents
Some of the most common causes of injury and death in the workplace involve disregard of well-known safety standards by employers, contractors, and property owners. Training, inspections, development of safety plans, and enforcement are key elements of ensuring that safety standards are adhered to in the workplace. In addition to safety violations, injuries can occur from defective products. These defects may occur as a result of manufacturing error or defects in a product’s design. The lack of proper instruction or warning makes a product dangerous too.
Preventing Accidents
You have the legal right to make a complaint to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration ("OSHA") about hazardous conditions at work. The decision to contact OSHA should not be made without thought, as some employers will respond to your contact with illegal retaliation. If you are wrongly fired or disciplined for filing a complaint, your ability to have this addressed legally could be time-consuming. So if you work at a job where you fear retaliation, what options do you have?
1. If you are a member of a union, the AFL-CIO urges you to contact your union representative before filing an OSHA complaint. By law, the representative can file a complaint for you and protect you from retaliation.
2. If you are not a member of a union, then you may want to get another worker to join in making a complaint. Safety in numbers!
3. You can make an anonymous complaint to OSHA. Some jurisdictions respond to these complaints at a slower pace, however.
4. You may contact Paul & Hanley LLP to serve as your worksite representative*. Depending on the exact issue and location, we may be able to (a) file a complaint on your behalf, (b) keep your name confidential, (c) be present at any jobsite inspection conducted by OSHA, and (d) obtain OSHA reports related to your complaint. When we assist workers in this manner, it is a free service.
No matter what choice you make, be safe!
At Paul & Hanley, we have always championed worker health and safety. Our contacts with organized labor and workers throughout the country set us apart as industrial accident and work related injury lawyers. As one of the nation’s leading tort firms, Paul & Hanley employs experienced work related injury attorneys and staff dedicated to helping those injured through their employment. Our attorneys have the knowledge, experience, and resources necessary with which to successfully pursue your case.
The lawyers at Paul & Hanley are consistently recognized not only for their skillful legal expertise and aggressive litigation strategies, but for their honesty, integrity, and unwavering commitment to their clients. Over the years, our lawyers have established an impressive track record of successfully representing clients throughout the United States.
If you or a loved one has been seriously hurt while on the job, the attorneys at Paul & Hanley LLP can help. Contact us for a free consultation with an experienced attorney.
*Paul & Hanley LLP has licensed attorneys in CA, GA, IL, MN, NY, SC, WA, and WI. In these states, we may act as "an attorney acting for an employee." In other states, we may not "practice law" without first getting court approval. We can still contact OSHA on your behalf, however. For further information, click here.