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'Dancing with the Stars' pros turn down injury prevention help

On behalf of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C. posted in Workplace Injuries on Thursday, May 16, 2013.

Although most people in the state of New York may not have jobs that require them to perform intricate dances moves such as the ones seen on the popular television show 'Dancing with the Stars', they may however have jobs that require physical labor that if done incorrectly, could cause considerable injury. If asked, most people in occupations such as these would accept offered training if it meant keeping the safe from injury. But not in the case of the professional dancers on 'Dancing with the Stars'.

Recently, two classically trained dancers from the Masterpiece Dance Theater in Los Angeles, California, became concerned during the last season of the show. After watching several celebrities and professional dancers receive injuries after performing complicated choreography, the pair decided to offer injury prevention techniques.

Two construction workers injured after truck tips over on them

On behalf of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C. posted in Construction Workers' Accidents on Friday, May 10, 2013.

New York police are still trying to piece together the events that led up to a serious accident thise month that nearly cost two construction workers their lives. Investigators will be looking into all possible causes, including the very real possibility that a failure in the truck's anchoring supports could have caused the vehicle to tip over in the first place.

The serious accident occurred just after 11 am on the Beltway in Canarsie when the cherry picker the men had been operating suddenly began to tip over. The information provided by police does not indicate whether the men were in the cherry picker basket at the time of the accident or next to the vehicle. When emergency rescuers arrived however they did discover the men trapped under vehicle.

New OSHA rules helping to prevent injury in temporary workers

On behalf of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C. posted in Workplace Safety on Friday, May 3, 2013.

A number of work-related deaths in the past year have not only grabbed the media's attention but have grabbed the attention of inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as well. According to a memorandum released at the end of April, OSHA's chief David Michaels, there were a number of deaths, including one that occurred at a New York construction site, that prompted the agency to take action when it came to the safey of workers. More specifically, Michaels says, the safety of temporary workers across the nation.

According to fatality information for 2011, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 11.5 percent of the year's 4,693 deaths were suffered by temporary workers. It was because of this distrubing statistic that Michaels realized that temporary workers were not receiving the same training as permanent employees and thus were not as protected from work-related accidents.

Fertilizer plant explosion leaves questions about workplace safety

On behalf of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C. posted in Workplace Safety on Thursday, April 25, 2013.

Providing safe working conditions is incredibly important to just about every company around the United States, including here in New York as well. But when federal regulations and state laws don't mesh up, sometimes companies have a difficult time discerning between safe working conditions and the hazardous ones.

People across the U.S. got a sobering reminder of this just a few weeks ago when a fire at a West, Texas fertilizer plant caused an explosion that killed numerous people and injured hundreds of residents. The aftermath forced many industrial factories across the country to rethink workplace safety. But while the exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation, many experts point to the serious documentation errors as definite contributing factors.

Is the US Chemical Safety Board keeping workers safe?

On behalf of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C. posted in Industrial Workers' Accidents on Friday, April 19, 2013.

When the U.S. Chemical Safety Board was first brought into commission, it was supposed to act much like the National Transportation Safety Board, pointing out safety hazards and preventing serious work-related accidents from happening in the future. But with investigations lagging for years without any definitive resolution in sight, many people across the nation, including here in New York, are starting to question whether the agency is effectively doing what it was first designed to do.

Residents in New York have seen the devastation that can occur after an industrial accident. Although the property damage associated with these types of accidents is great, the loss of life and serious injuries that almost always follow are generally more of what concerns the public. Residents near the accident site want to know if there is any further safety risk. They also want to know if the accident could have been prevented.

Workplace safety concerns among temporary and migrant workers

On behalf of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C. posted in Workplace Injuries on Friday, April 12, 2013.

When it comes to accidents in the workplace, most workers in the state of New York don't think twice about reporting any injuries they incurred as a result of unsafe working conditions. This is because workers know that they may be entitled to workers' compensation benefits and likely don't have to worry about the financial strains associated with medical bills and lost wages that accompany such injuries.

But the situation is very different for temporary and migrant workers who may not have the same workers' compensation safety net. According to Sarah Paoletti, director of the University of Pennsylvania's Transnational Law Center, these types of workers are not only more vulnerable to work-related accidents but may not have coverage options to help pay for injury treatment. As a result, these types of workers may be less inclined to report such accidents, which could put their fellow colleagues in danger as well.

Furniture company still in operation despite endangering workers

On behalf of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C. posted in Workplace Safety on Thursday, April 4, 2013.

When a company receives a citation from OSHA for unsafe working conditions, here in New York we expect that they are held accountable for their workers' safety and that they are shut down when they consistently put their employee's lives at risk.

We'd like to think this happens every time but according to some OSHA inspectors, it's not always the case. Because of political red tape and not knowing how far the agency can flex its power, some inspectors who know there is a safety risk simply feel like they can't do anything to remedy the situation.

NCIMED gets word out about workers' comp insurance

On behalf of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C. posted in Workplace Safety on Friday, March 29, 2013.

Few people in North Carolina think about workers' compensation benefits when it comes to accepting a position at a new job. But when the unthinkable happens and you receive a work-related injury, having those precious benefits waiting on the sidelines can be a welcome relief in what is often a difficult period of time.

But just like workers, many businesses don't think about workers' compensation insurance until such an injury or death occurs. But despite a business' confidence in the safety of its operation, there are always those unforeseen occurrences that could cost a company a lot of money if they are not completely prepared.

Stresses in health care professions leading to serious injuries

On behalf of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C. posted in Workplace Injuries on Friday, March 22, 2013.

When people in New York think about the health care industry the first thing that comes to mind is hospitals and clinics. The second thing they probably think about is that the staff is often times over worked and underappreciated. And although many studies have shown that these occupational stresses can lead to serious medical mistakes, these stresses can also lead to serious injuries to the workers as well.

It's not something that the news reports on very often but many studies have linked the stresses doctors and physicians experience every day to not only mental health problems but to physical injuries as well.

Safety concerns arise on golf course after sinkhole swallows player

On behalf of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C. posted in Workplace Safety on Thursday, March 14, 2013.

Most people in the state of New York don't worry too much about occupational safety because they know that their employer will try to provide the safest working environment possible. But sometimes there are those spontaneous, unforeseen dangers that even your employer can't predict.

That having been said, let's pose a scenario to you. Let's say you're a grounds attendant for a golf course. But while inspecting the green one day, the ground opens up below you and you fall 18 feet into the Earth. And although this may sound fake, a similar event happened to a golfer in Illinois this month, prompting some people here in New York to wonder about the risk workers could run into when it comes to sink holes like this.

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