The Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducts inspections of facilities in a variety of industries throughout the year. Unfortunately, some of them are prompted by workplace accidents in which an innocent life was lost. Each year, too large a number of workers across the country, perhaps including some here in Maryland, die before a company is forced to take the safety of its workers seriously.

For instance, OSHA recently completed an investigation into the death of a worker in a plastics company last year. OSHA found that the company willfully violated a regulation requiring machine guards on its equipment to prevent injuries to workers. Investigators also found that the company failed to implement proper shut down and lock out/tag out procedures.

As a motorist on the highways and byways in and around Baltimore, you are accustomed to seeing big rigs. What you do not want to see, let alone be involved in, is a truck-related crash.

Unfortunately, there has been a sharp increase in large truck accidents in recent years. What is causing these crashes, and where are they happening?

The FMCSA weighs in

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, fatalities involving trucks peaked at 6,702 deaths in 1979. During the ’80s and ’90, the number hovered around 5,500 annual truck-related deaths on the nation’s roads. In the new millennium, the number edged down steadily, reaching a historic low of 3,380 truck fatalities in 2009 – half the number of three decades earlier.

More than likely, Maryland readers have heard horror stories about the treatment of nursing home residents. While the abuse and neglect that many residents suffer at the hands of nursing home staff is deplorable, it is not the only source of violence in these facilities. Nursing home staff may also become the victims of violence — from the residents — and they may make claims for workers’ compensation benefits as a result.

For example, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently issued citations for a facility’s failure to protect its workers at a nursing home in another state. After receiving two complaints regarding injuries due to resident violence, OSHA began an investigation into the facility in Aug. 2017. It found five documented instances of injuries and several undocumented instances in which staff suffered injuries due to the violent behavior of residents.

A woman in another state recently claimed that she suffered injuries after slipping and falling at a Subway restaurant. She asserted that the fast food restaurant’s negligence led to her injuries and has therefore filed a lawsuit against the eatery. Anyone in Maryland who suffers injuries in a slip\-and\-fallaccident resulting from a property owner’s carelessness has the right to take legal action.

The recent out-of-state incident took place in July 2017. According to the woman’s lawsuit, the woman was ordering food at the Subway restaurant. All of a sudden, she slipped and fell on the floor.

The first plaintiffs have filed lawsuits after the Amtrak passenger train derailment that occurred near Tacoma, Washington, on Dec. 18, 2017.

The legal action now underway reveals which entities might be liable in a complex mass transit accident.

The background

An Amtrak passenger train was making an inaugural run on a new route from Tacoma, Washington, to DuPont in Pierce County when it derailed while speeding through a 30 mph zone at 78 mph. Several cars jumped the tracks, and pictures showed a couple of them dangling precariously from an overpass above Interstate 5.

In many aspects, families may consider an assisted living facility a better alternative to the traditional nursing home setting. Unfortunately, a new federal report states that, in spite of billions of dollars going to pay for this type of care for Medicare and Medicaid patients, there is little guidance or oversight provided to prevent nursing home negligence or abuse. The new report covers these designated institutions in every state, including Maryland, and calls for more regulation.

It’s normal to feel shaky after a car accident, from the unexpected jolt of a rear-end collision or simply the commotion of a fender-bender. But as the shock wears off, you may feel OK, even relieved it wasn’t worse. You’ll probably be more concerned about the damage to your car.

Take the time to seek medical care (or to make sure that a loved one does). There could be hidden injuries such as a fracture or internal bleeding or concussion. It is also important to establish a doctor’s report that clearly ties any injuries to the car accident. 

A man in another state recently suffered injuries while working at a construction site. The accident occurred on a Monday afternoon. Fortunately, workers in Maryland and elsewhere may be able to take advantage of workers’ compensation to help them to address their injuries quickly and efficiently.

In the recent out-of-state case, a man was apparently doing sewer project work associated with a subdivision that was in the process of being built. However, while he was inside a deep excavation hole, a cylinder made from cement collapsed onto him. The cylinder fell after reportedly shifting somehow.

You may take public transportation to and from work or your college classes. Perhaps you join friends or family  now and then for a trip on a motor coach.

The vast majority of bus trips are safe trips. However, accidents do happen. Here are four steps to take if you are aboard a bus that is in an accident.

One of the last places that you may think you are in any danger of suffering from an injury is in a Maryland hospital. You expect that the doctors, nursing and other staff will diligently work to protect your safety. Sadly, if that was always the case, there would be no need for medical malpractice laws.

Most hospital personnel here in Maryland and elsewhere care about their jobs and their patients, but they cannot be everywhere at once and are human. Mistakes happen. One of the most prevalent sources of injury in a hospital is from falls.