Drop in Fatal Workplace Injuries in 2009 Due to Economy | Texas Work Injury Lawyers

Texas workplace accident attorneys see through the hype of new job injury statistics and let you know that a decrease in workplace deaths when the economy is so badly off doesn't mean much.

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Researchers Look at Ways to Reduce Workplace Injuries by Tackling Fatigue

Houston, Texas Personal Injury Lawyers discuss repetitive stress injury in the workplace and how measuring muscle fatigue can help combat Texas workplace injuries.

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Gas Well Worker Crushed to Death by Drilling Equipment | Texas Industrial Accident Attorneys

Large pirce of drilling equipment fell on a Trinidad Drilling gas well worker near the Kennedale border in Arlington, Texas, killing him.

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Massive Explosion at San Antonio, Texas AGE Refining Inc. Oil Refinery

At 11:30 this morning, a massive explosion took place at the AGE Refining Inc. oil and fuel refinery in San Antoion, Texas. A massive fire remains out of control in southeast San Antonio, resulting in evacuations and the strongest firefighting efforts. An 18-wheeler that was refueling at the 13,500-barrel-a-day plant owned by AGE Refining Inc. exploded. There were 100 employees at the plant working at the time of the Texas Refinery Explosion. At least one witness said he recalls a previous fire at this refinery about two years ago.

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OSHA Ready to Implement Stricter Enforcement, Injury Reporting Programs

A new OSHA announcement comes during a time of outrage over the West Virginia mine disaster. The agency has announced that it will soon implement a stricter enforcement program called the Severe Violator Enforcement Program. The program will include more aggressive enforcement, targeting employers who have a continuous and consistent record of workplace safety violations, placing workers at risk. It will also include hefty penalties for employers who continue to flout OSHA regulations.

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Crane Boom Crushes Port Arthur, Texas Motiva Refinery Contract Worker

A crane boom snapped and fell at 8:30 a.m. yesterday, crushing a man to death who was working on a $7 billion refinery expansion project in Port Arthur, Texas. The fatal accident occured at Motiva Enterprises LLC's refinery. Motiva Enterprises is a joint venture between Shell and Saudi Aramco. The unfortunate contractor has not yet been identified by local authorities, but it is know that he worked for BECON Construction, a subsidiary of Bechtel, the largest U.S. engineering company. The employee of Becon Construction Company, Inc. was working as part of the Bechtel-Jacobs joint venture constructing the Motiva expansion. Texas continues to lead the nation in workplace fatalities. In 2008, Texas suffered 457 workplace deaths among 5,071 nationwide. In 2007, Texas had 528 workplace deaths of 5,657 nationwide. Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, LLP has over 45 years of experience handling multi-party Texas Refinery Accident and Death Claims. We are here to help hard-working men and women and their families obtain the best result possible considering tragic circumstances. For assistance with a case or for help with a legal question, email us today at info@smslegal.com.

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Construction Safety Summit in Houston Stresses on Worker Education, Empowerment

Houston played host to a Latino worker health and safety summit today. The National Action Summit for Latino Worker Health and Safety came at an especially poignant time, barely a few days after it was confirmed that 29 miners had died in a mine explosion in West Virginia. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, who addressed the summit, spoke of enhancing worker education and awareness as a means of preventing workplace injuries and fatalities.

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Hopes Fade for Rescue of Four Missing Miners in West Virginia

Rescue teams are just a couple of hours away from entering the section of the mine in West Virginia where four men, still on the missing list, were believed to have been during the massive mine explosion on Monday. There isn't much hope of finding them alive, but for the family members of these miners, it's time for some closure. The Texas work accident lawyers at Schechter McElwee Shaffer & Harris represent injured workers, including construction workers, oil and gas refinery workers, miners and employees in several other industries in the Houston area, and around the state of Texas.

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OSHA Fines Gulf Chemical for Industrial Safety Violations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined Freeport- based Gulf Chemical and Metallurgy Company $50,400 in fines after inspections revealed numerous industrial safety violations. According to OSHA, it conducted inspections of the facility in October, and found 16 serious violations. These violations are those that can contribute to injury or death. The violations included failure to train workers to handle hazardous materials, failure to provide adequate protection from airborne hazards and failure to protect workers from electrical hazards.

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Workers Commemorate Anniversary of Deadly BP Refinery Explosion in Texas City

Yesterday marked the first anniversary of the BP refinery explosion in Texas City that killed 15 workers and left more than 180 workers injured. Obviously, it's an extremely poignant moment not just for the families of those who were killed and those injured, but also for those of us who represented the victims as Houston refinery explosion lawyers in the litigation that followed. The-Houston refinery explosion lawyers at Schechter McElwee Shaffer and Harris represent victims of oil refinery explosions around the state of Texas.

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Protecting America's Workers Act Will Increase Penalties for Workplace Safety Violations

This week, a congressional subcommittee heard how the Protecting America's Workers Act can strengthen OSHA's efforts at increasing workplace safety. The US House Of Representatives Education and Labor Committee's Subcommittee heard from witnesses who said that the Act would add more bite to OSHA laws. The Act would increase penalties for safety violations, and increase whistleblower protections. It will also enhance enforcement of OSHA's laws, contributing to fewer accidents and a safe workplace.

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OSHA Teaming up with Scaffolding Group to Increase Safety

It was the death of three workers in a scaffolding accident in Austin, in Texas last year that increased national attention on scaffolding safety issues. With all the strides made in construction safety and all the technological aids at our disposal, scaffolding accidents remain among the most common construction site accidents. Finally, it seems that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is looking harder at this problem. OSHA is partnering with the Scaffold Industry Association to train construction workers about safe materials for scaffolding and safe assembly. For more information about these developments or to contact a Houston, Texas Construction Accident Lawyer TODAY, email SMSH at info@smslegal.com.

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BP Facing up to $3 Million in Fines in Ohio Refinery Explosion

Just months after BP was slapped with a $87.4 million fine for its failure to fix serious safety issues at its Texas City refinery, the oil giant is looking at up to $3 million in fines for violations at its Toledo, Ohio refinery. OSHA has announced that it has found dozens of violations at the Ohio refinery. For more information on your Refinery Explosion issues, please contact us through our web contact form or email us at info@smslegal.com. Someone will receive your email today.

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Despite OSHA Regulations, Scaffolding Safety Continues to be Elusive

For workplace accident lawyers in Texas, it continues to be frustrating that we see workers injured in accidents that shouldn't even be occurring, let alone seriously harming workers. Yet another scaffolding-related construction accident in Texas has left two workers seriously injured. If we sound furious at this totally preventable accident and the fact that these two men have been severely injured because of an employer's callousness, it's because we totally are. As construction accident lawyers in Texas, we hope the Occupational Safety and Health Administration decides to make an example of this case. Contact us at info@smslegal.com for assistance with any questions about your case.

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Practice of Misclassification Places Workers at Risk

Texas work injury attorneys have always been aware of the practice of misclassifying employees as independent contractors to save on costs. However, as the Associated Press is reporting, such unscrupulous practices have become even more popular in a recession. The Texas work injury lawyers at SMSH represent injured victims of refinery explosions, chemical exposure, toxic gas leaks, construction accidents and other industrial accidents around the state of Texas.

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Worker Dies in Fall at Houston, Texas refinery

A worker died Friday morning at LyondellBasell Industries' Houston, Texas oil refinery after a steep fall. The Lyondell employee's name was being witheld pending notification of family members. For assistance with your claims related to a Texas Refinery Accident, please contact SMSH for a free evaluation of your case at (800) 282-2122 or e-mail us at info@smslegal.com

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Four Construction Contractors Cited in Austin, Texas Scaffolding Accident

Four contractors have been cited for safety violations that resulted in a scaffolding accident at an apartment building construction site in Austin this year. The Texas construction accident lawyers at SMSH represent injured construction workers and families of workers killed in such accidents around the state of Texas.

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Plant Explosion in Seabrook, Texas Injures Two Workers

An early morning explosion at the American Acryl plant in Seabrook injured two workers, and caused great anxiety in the local community. Witnesses said there was a large fireball accompanied by massive blast. The plant where the exposition occurred handles toluene, which is a petroleum-based compound. Exposure to toluene even in small doses can cause fatigue, memory loss and weakness.

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OSHA Refinery Sweep Shows Why Explosions and Accidents are so Frequent

As Texas refinery explosion lawyers, we have been very concerned about the corrective measures that federal regulators seem to take after accidents and injuries have occurred, instead of taking preventative measures to avert any adverse events . The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has a poor record of refinery inspections. In the last 10 years, the agency has conducted only a handful of inspections for the 150-odd refineries in the country.

So, as Texas refinery explosion attorneys, we weren't surprised when a nationwide sweep of oil refineries turned up far more violations than OSHA regulators expected. According to the Wall Street Journal, the agency inspected 86 refineries. It has, so far, found 930 violations and issued $4.8 million in citations. The OSHA National Emphasis Program or NEP was launched in 2007 to inspect oil refineries.  The initiative came after the agency found that over 15 years, the country's oil refineries accounted for the largest number of fatal accidents. Most of these accidents were linked to fires and explosions that typically caused the higher number of serious injuries and deaths.

These high numbers of violations were probably no surprise to those who lived in the neighborhood of an oil refinery in Utah, where an explosion last month damaged several houses. The explosion at the Silver Eagle refinery near Salt Lake City was the second this year.  In January, the refinery was the scene of a fire that seriously injured at least 4 people.  The Silver Eagle refinery has a history of fires, with recent incidents occurring in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

Refinery explosions are a major source of concern because of their huge potential for catastrophic injuries and fatalities.  In Texas, we are constantly reminded of how the people who work at these refineries continue to be at risk from hazardous conditions. Many of Texas' refineries are quite literally, ticking time bombs waiting to go off.  The Texas refinery explosion lawyers at SMSH would like to see more initiative and less foot-dragging from OSHA.

Please contact Matt Shaffer via e-mail at mshaffer@smslegal.com or toll-free 24/7 at (800) 282-2122 to get a free evaluation of your refinery accident case from a lawyer with years of experience handling these cases.  You can also submit an online contact form and expect a quick response from SMSH Lawyers.

BP Fined $87 Million for Violations in Texas City Refinery Explosion

As Texas refinery explosion lawyers, we had represented 10 victims of the deadly blast at BP's Texas City refinery, and have since been monitoring BP's  efforts to salvage its reputation after the explosion.  Those efforts hit a road block last week, when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the company $87.4 million in penalties for failing to make safety corrections at the refinery.

 

The blast in September 2005 left 15 people dead, and injured 170 workers. That year, BP paid a $21.3 million to OSHA, and promised to make safety corrections at the refinery over the next four years.  The company claimed it had invested more than a billion dollars in safety improvements at the facility. OSHA has not been too impressed with the way BP has corrected the violations, and has slapped the oil giant with the new fine.

 

Soon after the Texas City refinery explosion, an investigation by the Chemical Safety Board determined that BP officials had cut down on safety measures at the plant n order to cut costs and that this was one of the main contributing causes of the tragedy. In 2007, the company agreed to pay the Department of Justice an additional of fine of $50 million in settlement of criminal charges arising from the explosion. Texas refinery explosion attorneys have long been familiar with BP's poor safety reports, and its promises to enhance safety measures at its plant have become something of a joke.

 

 At the time, the tragedy had also highlighted OSHA's preference to jump in and penalize companies only after workers had been killed in accidents, over placing effective deterrents that could prevent such accidents in the first place. The fine seems to be OSHA's way of conveying to BP that the agency is monitoring the company and its safety processes, and will not be satisfied until the company makes the solid safety improvements it promised post-2005.

 

The Texas refinery explosion lawyers at Schechter Shaffer McElwee &Harris represent victims injured in refinery explosions and families who have lost loved ones in such catastrophic refinery accidents, helping them recover the compensation they rightfully deserve. 

TX DWC Offers Information On Protection Against Heat-Related Illnesses

The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) urges Texas employers to help prevent heat-related injuries and illnesses. Dangers exist for people working outdoors, such as sun-damage to fatal conditions.

In 2007, according to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), heat-related illnesses resulted in three work-related fatalities in Texas, exposure to environmental heat was a factor in 280 work-related nonfatal injuries or illnesses requiring days off from work, and the highest number of nonfatal heat-related incidents occurred with workers engaged in installation, maintenance and repair (130).

You can download information regarding the prevention of heat-related injuries HERE.

Workplace Injuries Rise Following Daylight Savings Change

Using U.S. Department of Labor and Mine Safety and Health Administration data, researchers from Michigan State University found that the number of workplace accidents spikes after Daylight Savings Time changes in March but not in November.

In two separate studies, they found that the March switch to Daylight Savings Time resulted in 40 minutes less sleep for American workers, a 5.7% increase in workplace injuries, and nearly 68% more work days lost to injuries.

But can losing one hour of sleep really make a difference? "Yes," said one of the researchers, "it can. Especially for those engaged in jobs requiring a high level of attention to detail. Studies have shown that lost sleep causes attention levels to drop off."

Similarly, another study found that when Canada went into daylight savings time, there was an 8 percent increase risk of accidents on the Monday after the changeover. A similar U. S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study cited sleep deprivation as the most likely cause of a 17 percent increase in accidents on the Monday following the time change.

If you or someone you care about has been injured due to workplace negligence, please contact Matt Shaffer at (800) 282-2122.

BP to pay biggest U.S. criminal environmental fine ever

A U.S. judge on Thursday approved British Petroleum's agreement to pay $50 million -- the largest U.S. criminal environmental fine ever -- after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a 2005 explosion that killed 15 workers at a Texas refinery.

BP's plea agreement had been held up after families of victims complained the penalty was too lenient, pointing out that regulators found that BP sacrificed safety at the plant to cut costs.

SMSH Partner Matthew D. Shaffer represented multiple Plaintiffs in the BP litigation, obtaining millions of dollars for his clients.  If you or someone you know has been injured in a plant explosion, construction accident, refinery accident, or otherwise hurt on the job, please contact Mr. Shaffer at 1-800-282-2122.