Bridgewater Workers' Compensation

In the Bridgewater, Brockton and Easton area of Massachusetts, there were a total of 132,000 people in the civilian labor force as of July 2014. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the top three fields providing jobs in Bridgewater include trade, transportation and utilities; education and health services; and government work. In July of 2014, there were 20,900 people in trade and transportation; 18,000 people providing educational and health services; and 14,000 people working for the government.

All of these fields present risks for injury. In 2013, for example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the transportation and warehousing sector was the field with the second-highest number of workplace deaths over the course of the year. Workers in any profession could be injured or lose their lives due to a workplace accident or an illness or injury acquired while on the job. When this happens, a Bridgewater workers’ compensation attorney can help those who have been harmed to make a workers’ compensation claim.

Bridgewater is a city of approximately 26,563 people. Bridgewater is located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, but is also just 35 miles to the east of the city of Providence in Rhode Island. Bridgewater is named after a town in Somerset England, and the city is 25 miles to the south of Boston.

Ironwork factories provided the economic base of Bridgewater during the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s. However, there was a shift in the 1960s and the economy in Bridgewater became dependent upon the Massachusetts Correctional Institute, the Old Colony Correctional Center, the Bridgewater Teacher’s College, and the Bridgewater State Hospital. The teacher’s college was the first in the nation. Today, the prisons are closed but the tradition of educational achievement continues, as Bridgewater is now home to Bridgewater State University, which is a part of the University of Massachusetts’ system.

The school helps provide jobs for thousands who work in the education sector in the Bridgewater area. Unfortunately, workers in this field as well as in other industries could be hurt or even killed on-the-job, especially if employers fail to follow basic workplace safety requirements.

In one recent instance, a Bridgewater contractor was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for workplace safety violations, including failure to put a protective system in place to prevent cave-ins. Because of this failure, a fatal trench collapse occurred.

Whenever a worker in any profession gets hurt or sick, it is essential to determine if his work tasks were the direct reason for the health issues. If so, negligence is not relevant to the worker’s rights to make a work injury claim. Workers’ compensation benefits are available to provide payment for medical bills as well as disability or death benefits, regardless of employer negligence. Making a work injury claim can be complicated and some claims for benefits are denied despite the laws protecting workers. To ensure that you are taken care of, it is advisable to get legal advice from an experienced law firm who can help report your injury, make your workers’ compensation claim and appeal benefit denials. 

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