The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor is the federal agency tasked with enforcing federal workplace health and safety laws in the U.S. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1974 applies to the majority of private sector workers and employers, as well as to some public sector employers throughout the U.S. When a work related death or injury occurs, OSHA is responsible for the investigation.
It was recently reported by OSHA that the federal government has cited a concrete company in Stowe, Pennsylvania for violating health and safety rules for the second year in a row. The company, Universal Concrete, is located at 400 Old Reading Pike. The facility, which had been a Doehler-Jarvis parts plant, currently produces pre-fabricated concrete.
According to the report, an inspection in December 2013 revealed 10 repeat violations at the facility and four citations designated “serious.” Under OSHA rules, a violation designated “serious” is one in which there is substantial likelihood of fatal injury or where a serious personal injury or physical harm is possible as a result of a hazard that an employer either knew about or that an employer should have known about.
In the United States, employers must protect the health and safety of their employees. If it can be shown that an employee was injured because of an employer’s negligence, the employee may be entitled to lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering and more. Whenever a worker experiences a serious work related injury, it may help to talk to a Pennsylvania workers compensation attorney right away.
Source: The Mercury, “OSHA cites Universal Concrete in Stowe for 2nd straight year,” Evan Brandt, April 21, 2014