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How You Can Receive Workersโ Compensation for Your Amputation Injury
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OSHA recently made changes to its amputation program in an effort to increase workplace safety entirely.
Workers’ compensation benefits are generally available to those who suffer a variety of on-the-job injuries, even including amputations. Amputation injuries can range from the loss of a limb to the loss of a fingertip. These injuries can and do occur in a number of workplaces including construction sites, retail and commercial bakeries, sawmills, printing, and jobs within the auto industry.
A wide range of regulations has been put in place by the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to reduce the risk of these accidents. OSHA recently updated these regulations in an attempt to increase the safety of the workplace. Changes were specifically made to the National Emphasis Program on Amputations (NEP).
Occupational Safety Health Administration’s efforts to decrease amputation injuries
National Emphasis Program is a program that focuses specifically on workplaces with machinery and equipment that cause or could cause amputations as well as workplaces that have reported amputation accidents in the past. This program was put together in an effort to use the federal agency’s inspection resources more efficiently by targeting high risk workplaces.
OSHA explained the changes made to National Emphasis Program in a recent news release. Dr. David Michaels, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, stated that workers often suffer these injuries “from unguarded machinery and equipment.” These injuries can result in either permanent disability or the loss of lives. This can easily be avoided with the implementation of basic safety precautions that protect the lives of workers.
These precautions include removing the risk of exposure to unguarded or poorly guarded machinery and equipment during the workday. Such exposure can occur as a normal course of the workday as well as during servicing and maintenance of these machines. The directive calls for inspections that focus on dangers present while “clearing jams; cleaning, oiling or greasing machines or machine pans; and locking out machinery to prevent accidental start-up.”
Remedies available to those who suffer on-the-job amputation injuries
On-the-job accidents can happen for many different reasons. Whether the injury is a true accident or the result of an employer failing to follow Occupational Safety Health Administration regulations, workers’ compensation is generally available to help cover the costs associated with the accident through filing for a workers’ compensation claim. Benefits through the workers’ compensation program are designed to cover lost wages and other costs associated with the injury.
It is wise for workers injured at work to contact an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer. This legal professional can assist with uncooperative workers’ compensation insurance carriers, working to better ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
If I Get Hurt at Work, What Are My Rights?
In addition toย workersโ compensationย benefits and possible Social Security Disability benefits, if your workplace injury was caused, in whole or in part, by workplace negligence, you may also be entitled to additional compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. For example, if your loss-of-limb involved equipment or machinery, you may have a product liability case in addition to your workersโ compensation and Social Security Disability claims.
Krasno, Krasno & Onwudinjo Can Help
If you or a loved one has had a loss-of-limb injury or accident at work, an experienced work injury lawyer fromย Krasno, Krasno & Onwudinjoย can help. We are a leading Pennsylvania workersโ compensation law firm. We have a team of lawyers and staff dedicated to seeking the benefits to which you are entitled and getting you the FULL benefits quickly. We understand how to fight the insurance companies.ย Contact usย at (866) 948-9088 ย to speak with a member of our legal team.
