Massachusetts’s workers often put their health on the line to perform their job duties. They may be exposed to heights, speeding traffic, dangerous chemicals or pollutants, and fierce fires. Though employers are required to take steps to keep their workers safe, sometimes safety procedures are improperly implements, equipment not maintained adequately, and employees are not fully trained. Any of these mistakes can lead to a serious work-related injury.
One Massachusetts worker may now know the dangers of unsafe working conditions after he was burned by a chemical fire. According to reports, the employee was mixing chemicals in a large vat at a Lynn plant when a flash fire ignited. The worker suffered burns over significant parts of his body, including his face, arms and hands. He was taken to the hospital, where his condition is unknown. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
When an employee is injured on the job, he may face severe losses to his physical and emotional health as well as his pocketbook. In addition to attempting to recover from his injuries, the worker might lose wages because of his inability to work, which may make it difficult or impossible to pay medical expenses.
Workers in these situations can attempt to recover their damages by filing a workers’ compensation claim. Lost wages and medical expenses may be covered if the claim is accepted, but sometimes these claims are denied. When this happens, the injured worker should seek help from an experienced Massachusetts workers’ compensation attorney.
The attorney will aggressively seek to prove the injury fits within the scope of a workers’ compensation claim. This may mean showing the worker was within his duties of employment, the incident was an accident, and the worker himself was not negligent. Also, the lawyer will do his or her best to maximize potential compensation so that, should the worker succeed on his claim, he will have the compensation he needs to reach as full a recovery as possible.
Source: The Boston Globe, “Worker injured in flash fire at Lynn chemical plant,” Jasper Craven, Dec. 18, 2013
