The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently fined a Texas manufacturing firm $66,000 for repeated and serious workplace safety violations. L&M Bag and Supply Company Inc. received the fines after OSHA received extensive complaints about unsafe working conditions at a job site in San Marcos, Texas. Employees are owed safe working conditions, and employee safety must always come before a company’s bottom line. If you have been injured on the job in Texas, please contact an experienced San Antonio work injury lawyer today to discuss your legal options.
The Findings of the Safety Investigation
After receiving multiple reports of workplace safety violations at L&M Bag and Supply Company, OSHA conducted an extensive safety investigation. The results of the investigation were disheartening. Clearly this company, which had been cited by OSHA for safety violations in the recent past, continues to take worker safety for granted. Some of the specific issues that OSHA found at the San Marcos factory included:
- Not equipping their machines with emergency shut-off features;
- Failing to properly control the danger posed by hazardous energy;
- Failing to properly train the employees who operated the company’s forklifts; and
- Not installing guards on the rotating parts and chains of heavy machinery.
The safety complaints against this San Marcos facility were precipitated by a serious accident that occurred earlier this year. A worker’s arm became caught in one of the machines, likely due to the company’s failure to safeguard the rotating elements of the machine, and the worker required hospitalization. Beyond the citations mentioned above, OSHA also cited the company for its failure to properly report this serious accident. Reporting work injuries is extremely important. The failure to properly report an injury creates a culture without appropriate transparency and further, it could even cost injured workers their legal rights.
Reporting Your Workplace Injury
Under Texas law, injured workers have a legal responsibility to report their injuries in a timely manner. This also means that workers have a legal right to report their injuries. After any workplace accident, you should immediately report resulting injuries to your supervisor. Employers must be made aware of any injury that occurs while on the job. Further, within 30 days, injured workers must also file a formal injury report. This means that you should fill out whatever paperwork the company deems necessary to make your report official. If you have any questions or concerns about reporting a workplace injury, or the related paperwork, a workers’ compensation attorney can help. The bottom line is that the failure to report an on the job injury could cost you your right to recover compensation. Please do not put your rights at risk. Report all injuries as soon as possible. If your employer tries to discourage you from filing a report, you need to contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible.
Contact a San Antonio Work Injury Attorney
If you or a loved one has been injured while working in the manufacturing sector in Texas, our team of experienced work injury attorneys can help. Please do not hesitate to contact us today to set up a free evaluation of your claim. Our firm has offices in San Antonio and Laredo and we represent victims throughout South Texas.
Recent Comments