Maryland Accident Law Blog
Earlier this month in Westover, Maryland, a contractor who was working on an upgrade to the electrical system at Eastern Correctional Institution was killed when he was electrocuted in a tragic workplace accident. According to one local news report, the man was working with another sub-contractor as a part of GE Industrial Solutions when the accident occurred.
Evidently, the second-largest prison in Maryland required an upgrade to the electrical control system. However, during the upgrade, something went wrong and both sub-contractors were electrocuted. One man was shocked so badly that he died almost immediately. The other man involved received timely medical treatment and is expected to recover.
The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A report is expected to be released shortly.
OSHA and Workplace Accidents
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the government entity charged with ensuring America’s workplaces remain as safe as possible. Not only is it good practice for employers to keep safe workplaces, it is also the law.
In fact, OSHA has the ability to conduct independent investigations into job sites and, if they discover a violation, cite the employer. For a major violation, an employer can be fined up to $7,000. For repeated or willful violations, employers may face penalties of up to $70,000. A citation issued by OSHA may also be evidence of negligence in a personal injury lawsuit alleging negligence on the part of an employer.
Workplace Accidents and Personal Injury Lawsuits
All property owners have a duty to maintain safe premises for those they invite onto their land. This is also true of employers. Whenever someone is injured while on the job, the question arises of how the injury occurred.
In some cases, the injury is caused by an employee’s own negligence. OSHA will not get involved in these types of cases, and financial recovery in a civil lawsuit against the employer is unlikely. However, there are other situations where the injured party was not acting negligently but was injured due to another’s negligence. In these kinds of cases, there may be a case for financial recovery against a negligent employer.
These cases are all very fact-specific, and they may turn on intricate details that do not necessarily seem important at the outset of the case. Therefore, it is very important that you speak to a dedicated Maryland personal injury attorney to discuss your case and what options you may have.
Are You Looking for an Experienced Attorney?
If you or a loved one have been injured while on another’s property, you may be entitled to monetary compensation based on the property owner’s negligence in maintaining a safe premises. This may even be the case if you were at work at the time of the accident. To learn more, call one of the skilled personal injury advocates at the Maryland law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers. The skilled attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen have decades of experience in all kinds of personal injury matters, including those arising out of premises liability and workplace accidents. Call 410-654-3600 today to set up a free consultation.
More Blog Posts:
Maryland Appellate Court Considers the Cap on Judgments Against Municipalities, Maryland Accident Law Blog, January 16, 2015.
Substantial Lawsuit Brought Against Kaiser After Allegedly Botched Delivery, Maryland Accident Law Blog, April 22, 2015.