Lowell Workers' Compensation

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there are 159,400 people in the civilian labor force in the Lowell, Billerica, and Chelmsford areas of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Fields with the largest number of workers include manufacturing; trade transportation and utilities; and education or health services.

Transportation and warehousing was the career field with the second highest number of workplace fatalities in 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Manufacturing was also among the top six industries with the highest number of worker deaths. While these fields of work are especially dangerous, any worker could be hurt or killed on the job. A Lowell workers’ compensation attorney can help family members of workers killed at work and can represent employees who are injured while on the job. Contact the Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for more information on work injury claims.

Lowell, MA is the fourth largest city in Massachusetts. With a population of 109,861, Lowell is also the second-largest city in the Boston metropolitan area. Lowell is conveniently located close to Andover, Billerica, Tewksbury, Cambridge, Lexington, and Medford. It has been described as the “cradle” of the Industrial Revolution in America and it is also the home to the University of Massachusetts, which is the second largest public university in the state.

With its bustling economy, Lowell was the place where the first mass-produced soft drink in the U.S. was made and was also the city where CVS/pharmacy got its start. Today, there are still many large and small employers operating in Lowell.

Every employer in Lowell and throughout Massachusetts must comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which establishes best practices for workplace safety. Unfortunately, numerous Lowell employers have failed to maintain basic safety standards and follow reasonable precautions to prevent injury and death. In recent years, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Lowell employers for:

• Willful and serious violations such as open containers of flammable liquids resulting in a workplace fire.
• Lack of fall protection equipment and inadequate safeguards for employees working 40 feet in the air.

An OSHA violation demonstrates that an employer has either intentionally or negligently put employees at risk. Employee protections are very broad under Massachusetts workers’ compensation laws, so employees are not required to prove OSHA violations or other negligence in order to be entitled to benefits after a work injury.

Even when employers follow all safeguards and workplace best practices, workers or surviving family members of a person killed on the job may still make a claim for work injuries. Workers’ compensation benefits are available after all injuries that occur as a direct result of the performance of work duties.

Workplace illnesses have an annual cost of $58 billion per year and workplace fatalities cost more than $192 billion nationwide according to the Economic Policy Institute. Individual workers who are hurt on-the-job need to understand how to make a workers’ compensation claim and need to ensure that they get the full benefits that they deserve after an accident or workplace illness. Our law firm can guide workers’ or family members of people killed on-the-job through the process of making a work injury claim or resolving benefits disputes.

Schedule your free consultation with a Lowell workers’ compensation lawyer at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers. Call (617) 777-7777 or contact us online.