OSHA Violations in Boston
Helping Injured Workers Recover the Compensation They Deserve
If you work in the construction industry, there are many risks for possible injury to occur. It is the responsibility of the general contractor or site owner to properly oversee and maintain the construction site according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) standards.
What is OSHA?
OSHA is a federal organization dedicated to setting the standards for employers to provide safe workplace environments for their employees to work in.
Know Your Rights in the Workplace
OSHA outlines specific health and safety standards by industry on their website but it’s important that you understand you have the following basic rights in your workplace:
- Be trained in a language you understand
- Work on machines that are safe
- Be protected from toxic chemicals
- Request an OSHA inspection, and speak to the inspector
- Report injury or illness and get copies of your medical records
- See copies of workplace injury or illness log
- Be provided proper safety gear
- Get copies of tests conducted to determine site hazards
Reporting Workplace Hazards & Injuries
As an employee, you have the right to file an OSHA complaint if you believe there is an unnecessary health or safety risk at your workplace. You have the ability to contact OSHA via phone, email, or mail and request an inspector visit your place of work and verify the existence of a workplace hazard. If you’ve suffered an injury on the job, you should contact your supervisor for help.
All employers are required to notify OSHA within 8 hours of a workplace fatality and within 24 hours of any work-related inpatient hospitalization. You also have the right to report your workplace injury or injury directly to OSHA. Your employer should have a developed process in place for you report your claim to OSHA. It is against federal regulations to discourage workers from reporting their injuries or illnesses to OSHA. Additionally, employers are prohibited from retaliating against any employer who does report an incident to OSHA.
Employers Cannot Retaliate
Under federal laws, you have the right to speak up against any health or safety hazards at your job site without fear of retaliation.
Examples of retaliation include:
- Firing or laying off
- Demoting
- Suspension
- Denial of benefits
- Blacklisting
- Intimidation
- Disciplining
- Making threats
- Reassignment to a less desirable position
- Reducing pay or hours
Talk to a Boston Workplace Injury Attorney
At the Law Office of Steven R. Whitman LLC, our OSHA violation attorneys have more than 55 years of combined experience. If you’ve been injured as a direct result of an OSHA violation or you believe your employer has retaliated against you for reporting a health or safety hazard, you should seek the counsel of an experienced Boston personal injury attorney. You may be eligible for compensation for loss of pay, medical bills, pain and suffering and emotional distress. Our workers' compensation attorneys in Boston have more than 55 years combined experience handling personal injury cases; they can help you get the compensation you deserve.
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