When it comes to any kind of work that goes on around high-voltage overhead power lines, the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Law places safety responsibilities squarely on employers.

MOSH gives special emphasis to safety training, in that educating workers about safe work practices in proximity to power lines is essential.

Avoiding electrocution

Many accidents around energized power lines involve cranes, truck-mounted lifting equipment (bucket trucks), digging equipment and ladders. If these machines or objects come in contact with the lines, workers could suffer severe burns and other injuries, or instant electrocution.

Maryland law requires that workers and all their equipment stay a minimum of 10 feet away from overhead lines, with appropriate hazard signs. The minimum clearance for cranes is 20 feet. An operator should position the crane in such a way that the radius of the boom swing is outside of the absolute minimum clearance relative to the power lines.

If you are in the construction industry, you know how dangerous the work can be. By law, your employer must provide you with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize your exposure to hazards at the job site.

Because a work injury has potentially devastating consequences, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has mandated safety equipment rules for all to follow. Just as employers are obligated to provide PPE at no cost, employees have an obligation to use safety gear when it is provided – to protect their health and their legal rights.

Do you spend any of your workday on a ladder, a scaffold or on some other surface that puts you several feet off the ground? If so, you more than likely already know that a fall is a significant hazard for you. A fall can cause any number of serious injuries that can change the course of your life, and when that fall happens at work, you may be entitled to Maryland workers’ compensation benefits.

Any injury to your pride after a fall is nowhere near as important as any physical injuries you may have suffered. Broken bones, neck and back injuries and hitting your head could all have substantial effects on your life. Even if doctors say you merely strained or sprained something in the fall, you could still find yourself in a lot of pain, out of work for a while and wondering how you will pay your bills.

When a family member needs prompt medical help, you trust the team of doctors and nurses working in the emergency room (ER) will diagnose the condition and treat it properly. The same goes for the medical team that will attend to your loved one if he or she ends up in the intensive care unit (ICU).

But research indicates thousands of trauma patient deaths each year are the result of diagnosis errors, and thousands of ICU patients are discovered to have un diagnosed conditions when they died. 

When workplace injuries are mentioned, many people think of construction workers falling off scaffolds, industrial workers suffering electric shocks or warehouse workers involved in forklift accidents. Office workers and employees in the technology industry are not typically included in discussions about occupational hazards. However, the Maryland workers’ compensation program reports many claims filed by computer operators for repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of individuals across the country are hospitalized from injuries they suffer after slipping and falling. Often, these slip\-and\-fall accidents result in broken bones or other lasting injuries that require ongoing treatment or cause long-term pain and suffering. When Maryland property owners fail to keep their premises safe from hazards that result in grievous physical damages to unsuspecting members of the public, the business owners are not the ones who suffer; rather, it is the injured patrons who endure pain and often face costly medical expenses for treatment.

In another state, a woman has recently filed a lawsuit seeking damages after she slipped and fell in the bathroom of a shopping center last year. The plaintiff alleges that the incident occurred when she slipped in a puddle of water left on the floor of the bathroom. Supposedly, an employee of the shopping center had insufficiently mopped the floor and failed to properly clean up the remaining water.

Taking a fall is the last thing on your mind as you head down the stairs to the snack room for your morning break. However, the overhead light at the curve in the stairway has gone out.

You misjudge the step and stumble and fall, injuring your knee. At first, you only feel some pain and tenderness. But by nightfall, your knee is swollen and causing you considerable discomfort. You decide it’s best to see a doctor.

The main cause of knee problems

Some knee problems result from underlying health conditions, such as osteoporosis, but sudden injuries are the most common cause of knee issues. When you fall, your knee could suffer a direct blow if you hit the ground or a hard object. Many knee injuries also result from an abnormal twisting motion, during a trip or a falling accident, or while performing routine tasks in the course of work.

You have no doubt seen 18-wheelers that have overturned on a freeway. You do not want to be involved in such an accident — at many thousands of pounds heavier than your car, the truck has the potential to cause death and destruction.

Many truck-car accidents occur because the truck driver was speeding, fatigued or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Weather could also be a factor, or the negligence of another driver. There is another simple factor that commonly causes or contributes to truck accidents: overloading the truck. 

Light rail serves many people in the Baltimore area. Industry statistics have Baltimore’s  Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) ranked 12th in the nation for passenger miles for this form of transportation.

Mile for mile, light rail is dependable, convenient and safe, but any kind of transportation carries risks. Accidents still happen, and injuries for the people involved range from minor to life-changing.

Retail, rental and restaurant establishments designed to serve the students who attend them often occupy the real estate surrounding many of Maryland’s college and university campuses. Students who frequent the businesses and live near the campuses may walk quite a bit. This means they are also vulnerable to being injured or even killed in pedestrian accidents.

For instance, a tragedy recently occurred near the University of Maryland College Park campus. On a Sunday morning sometime before 6:20 a.m., an SUV struck a pedestrian as she crossed the street. The driver involved did not suffer any injuries and waited for police to arrive.