Everyone hopes to go into a workplace and find that their boss wants to do what’s best for them in various aspects of their work environment, to include treating employees fairly, providing fun incentives for getting tough jobs done or simply keeping the environment positive and friendly no matter how stressful the position. At the very least, people go to work believing that their employers will provide a safe space for them to spend the majority of their days.
However, sometimes, this isn’t the case. Your employer isn’t upholding safety standards and your workspace may have hidden (or obvious) dangers that put you at risk every day. Simple things like loose wires or poorly constructed desks, chairs and office equipment can be just as dangerous as shoddy construction or blocked fire escapes.
Every employer has a duty to provide his or her employees with a danger-free zone for working, but what happens when the employer fails to do so, either on purpose or just through laziness and negligence? How does this failure affect workers’ compensation claims?
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
Worker safety is covered under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act, also known as OSHA. This act requires employers to provide their employees with a safe work space, but that’s not all. Employers also have to keep the workplace free of what OSHA labels “recognized hazards” — dangers that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm that should be well-known to employers in a given line of work.
OSHA requirements also dictate standards with respect to the tools and equipment an employer provides. If you’re working in an office, your computer wiring, desk, chair and any other equipment you use falls under this provision. If your monitor wiring is faulty or your phone is improperly connected, these could be dangerous, and your employer could be held responsible for any injuries sustained. Similarly, if you’re in construction and your tools are old or they’re poorly maintained and malfunction, this violates the employer’s responsibility to provide you with safe equipment.
The federal act also provides employers with additional requirements for posting, report and recordkeeping, and holds companies and individual employees to regular OSHA inspections. If these requirements are not met, an employer could be held liable for resulting injuries or dangerous conditions that put employees at risk. Employers can be sued for negligence or willful misconduct if they fail to uphold safety standards for their employees.
Call an Attorney Today
At Levine Law, we represent anyone who has been injured at work due to someone else’s negligence or failure to maintain safe standards. You should be able to go to work every day with the knowledge that you will be safe and free from harm. If you sustained an on-the-job injury caused by a dangerous condition in your workspace, and your employer did nothing to prevent it, you may want to consider filing a claim. Contact a Denver workers’ compensation lawyer at Levine Law for a consultation on your case today.
