Work Safety Violations Endanger Low-Wage Workers
Workers in Scranton, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Bradford, Schuykill, Lehigh, Monroe, Wyoming and Wayne counties depend upon their employers to keep them safe. The most vulnerable employees, however, may be at the greatest risk of experiencing harm because of companies that do not follow the rules.
The National Employment Law Project (NELP) conducted a landmark survey of 4,387 low-wage workers in industries across the United States. The goal of the survey was to obtain an accurate estimate of how common it is for employers to violate worker protection laws. Part of this goal involved interviewing workers who are often not part of surveys, including undocumented immigrants and people paid in cash. The results were troubling because they showed that employers across the board fail to follow even the most basic laws protecting low wage workers.
A workers’ compensation lawyer knows every worker who experiences an injury, regardless of how much he is making at the time, will need help covering medical bills and will need disability income if he cannot work. Many workers in low wage jobs may not know their rights or have the in-depth legal knowledge necessary to secure funds needed after an injury. An attorney can provide advice and assistance.
Workplace Safety Violations Common in Low Wage Work
The NELP report showed “many employment and labor laws are regularly and systematically violated, impacting a significant part of the low-wage labor force.â€
The workers’ compensation system is not functioning as it should for people in the low wage labor force. Of all of the workers who were involved in the study who sustained a serious workplace injury, just eight percent filed a workers’ compensation claim. Because employers cannot be sued, if a worker doesn’t make a workers’ comp claim then he may be left without any money to cover the costs of his injuries and losses.
This is exactly what NELP found happened. Approximately half of the low wage workers who had experienced on-the-job injuries ended up having to pay their bills out of their own money. Around 22 percent of workers relied on a combination of health insurance, paying co-pays and other expenses themselves. Only six percent of the workers who had experienced an injury ended up getting their medical costs covered by a workers’ compensation insurer.
A big reason why employees weren’t able to make successful workers’ comp claims is that approximately 50 percent of the workers who reported their injuries experienced a reaction from their employer that violated the law. These reactions included threatening to fire the worker; telling the worker not to file for workers’ compensation, or even calling immigration authorities.
Employers should not be able to get away with depriving workers of benefits they both need and deserve after a worker gets hurt on the job. Employers need to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules to try to prevent injuries from happening and need to ensure employees get access to the workers’ comp benefits that the law entitles them to if an injury does occur.
A Scranton work accident attorney at O’Malley & Langan can help.  Call (800) 817-2667 today to schedule your free consultation. Serving Lackawanna, Luzerne, Bradford, Schuykill, Lehigh, Monroe, Wyoming and Wayne counties and surrounding areas.
