The United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) announced its plan to inspect workplaces in industries with increased hazards for worker illness, injury, and death.
OSHA announced in a press release that the Site-Specific Targeting 2012 plan aims inspections at high-hazard, non-construction site workplaces with 20 or more workers. The plan is the result of data collected from a survey of 80,000 establishments in high-hazard industries. Industries surveyed included farming, automotive, trucking, packing and crating, manufacturing, grocery, lumber, department stores, as well as hospitals and psychiatric and nursing facilities.
Baltimore, Maryland Worker’s Compensation lawyers like us know that construction work can be very dangerous. A fair number of our work injury cases result from construction workers who suffer injuries from slip and fall accidents, being struck by machinery or objects, and construction vehicle accidents. However worker hazards exist in other non-construction industries target by OSHA – both nationally and regionally, here in the Mid-Atlantic.
OSHA’s Local Emphasis Programs target region-specific industries where workers may be at higher risk for injury and death. Maryland falls within OSHA Region III. Among the region specific industries and types of injuries targeted under this program are the oil and gas industry, cement work, construction falls, department store industry, sheet metal and scrap metal industries, the health care industry, and ship building/boat repair.
Note: Maryland is among the U.S. states and territories that operate their own OSHA-approved job safety and health programs and cover state and local government workers as well as private sector workers. The Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Program (MOSH) is part of the Maryland Division of Labor and Industry. Maryland OSHA is headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland and has field offices in Easton and Hagerstown, Md.
If you are injured in the course of your work for a Maryland employer, please contact an experienced Maryland work injury attorney to discuss your case. These cases can quickly turn against well-meaning employees, who may let loyalty to a company get in the way of doing what’s best for themselves and their families. Remember: Insurance companies and company attorneys don’t care how loyal you are to your employer or how many years of work you put into your job.
See our related articles below for more insight into the Maryland Worker’s Compensation system and dangerous jobs in Maryland.
Related Maryland Injury Attorney Articles:
Maryland Work Injury and Death Statistics Shed Light on Most Hazardous Occupations (Jan. 2012)
Sources:
OSHA issues 2012 inspection plan to reduce injuries and illnesses at high-hazard workplaces
OSHA News Release Jan. 8, 2013
Site-Specific Targeting 2012 (SST-12) (PDF)
OSHA Notice Jan. 4, 2013
OSHA : Local Emphasis Programs