Slidell Workers’ Compensation Law Blog
OSHA drone inspections raise concerns
In a 2018 memorandum, OSHA authorized its inspectors to use drones to take pictures and video recordings on construction sites. Construction contractors in Louisiana and across the U.S. are concerned about the legal consequences of this move. For instance, employers...
OSHA finds widespread violations of scaffold safety rules
Construction workers in Louisiana often use scaffolds, and they depend on these temporary platforms to hold their weight. When scaffolds collapse or people fall, serious injuries and even deaths result. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has many...
Construction deaths dropped slightly but fatalities remain high
Construction workers in Louisiana encounter many hazards on any given day, but 2017 proved to be slightly less deadly for them than 2016. According to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that tallied construction worker fatalities, deadly incidents across the...
Holidays increase stress, risk for injury among retail workers
OSHA is reminding employers in Louisiana and across the U.S. that they must protect their retail workers during the holiday season. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health states that although retail workers may earn extra pay by working additional...
Temporary workers are entitled to protection as well
Both employers and staffing agencies in Louisiana and throughout the country are responsible for ensuring that temporary workers are kept safe. They could both be held liable if a worker is not properly trained or if other safety guidelines are ignored. According to...
OSHA announces top work-related violations for 2018
Employers and workers in Louisiana are generally in agreement when it comes to doing everything possible to maintain safe work environments. During a recent safety event where this particular topic was addressed, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration...
Most workers’ comp claims result from routine activities
Certain accidents that occur while engaged in work-related activities can be serious. Catastrophic injury or death can be the result in the worst-case scenarios. Fortunately, however, the vast majority of claims filed under Louisiana workers' compensation laws involve...
Updates made to OSHA’s trenching and excavation NEP
There has been an increase in the number of workers killed during trenching and excavation operations. OSHA reported 130 such fatalities between 2011 and 2016. Nearly half died between 2015 and 2016, and about 80 percent were in the private construction industry....
OIG: work-related injuries underreported by OSHA
An audit report from the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General states that OSHA may be underreporting severe and fatal workplace injuries by 50 percent or more. Employees in Louisiana may know that OSHA made changes to its injury and illness recordkeeping...
OSHA tries to reduce fatal construction accidents
About 20 percent of worker deaths that occurred around the country in 2016 were in the construction industry according to OSHA. Louisiana construction workers are generally hurt or killed by four major types of hazards. These include falling, being electrocuted and...
