Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Law Blog

The shale industry employs many people in the state of Pennsylvania. Many of those individuals drive trucks, transporting things related to the production of shale such as wastewater. As is the case with any motor vehicle, it is possible that the trucks can be involved in truck accidents that leave drivers, and others on the road, injured.

In the past, police in the state of Pennsylvania have taken both drivers and trucks off the roads. The reasons behind those removals include violations surrounding permitting and issues with the vehicle's brakes. In an effort to reduce the number of work accidents, individuals actually working in the industry have formed a task force to try to make that part of the industry safer.

Last fall we wrote a post on injuries a worker at Disneyland suffered when a car that is part of the Space Mountain roller coaster struck him. At the time of the incident the machinist was in the process of running a test on another roller coaster car. As a result of the incident, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration commenced an investigation into the matter. That investigation led to several of the park rides, including Space Mountain, being temporarily shut down this past weekend, likely leaving many guests, possibly even some from Pittsburgh, in the lurch. In addition to Space Mountain, Soarin' Over California and the Matterhorn were closed as well.

N-propyl bromide (nPB) is used by thousands of workers in auto shops, dry cleaners and electronics manufacturing plants across the U.S. However, government officials and researchers have warned for over ten years that the chemical is linked to neurological damage and infertility when inhaled over extended periods. Nevertheless, the use of this chemical has expanded in the past several years. This sheds light on the problems among workplace safety.

The exponential growth and use of dangerous chemicals demonstrate the difficulty in ensuring that Americans can breathe fresh air at work. However, sources report that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration devotes most of its time to immediate dangers rather than preventing the silent killers, which ultimately claim more workers' lives.

There are a variety of different types of employers throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Some residents of the state leave their homes each day to go to an office. Others spend their days in a company vehicle completing tasks such as making deliveries. Still others work in warehouse settings and are responsible for moving items from one place to another.

In accomplishing their tasks warehouse workers often use machines such as forklifts. While forklifts make these jobs much easier they can be dangerous. Accidents involving forklifts can result in serious injuries that send workers to the hospital and leave them unable to work for a period of time while they heal. In addition to being painful for the worker who is hurt, it can also be expensive for an employer who likely is making payments on a workers' compensation insurance policy.