One early morning in October 2012, an employee of Bumble Bee Foods was carrying pallets of canned tuna into a 35-foot-long oven. While the man was still inside the oven, other employees shut the door without noticing the man was missing. He died in the pressure cooker due to extreme temperatures reaching approximately 270 degrees.
As a result, Bumble Bee Foods was ordered to pay $6 million for “willfully violating worker safety rules.” Additionally, two employees, the company director of plant violations and the safety manager, were charged with felony offenses for violating the worker health and safety protocols put in place by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The Importance of Worker Safety Regulations
When companies and businesses employ and regulate worker safety regulations, they help prevent avoidable injuries and fatal accidents. Under the OSHA act, employers are required to provide a safe work environment at all times, by providing the following:
- Training
- Education
- Assistance
- Outreach
When employers fail to maintain safe working conditions, the likelihood for detrimental injuries increases exponentially. In fact, in 2014, 4,251 employees died in fatal accidents while in the workplace. The most common fatal work accidents were caused by the following:
- Falls
- Electrocutions
- Caught in/between
- Struck by object(s)
We Represent Workplace Injury Victims Throughout Virginia
If you have sustained a serious injury in a workplace accident or have lost a loved one due to the negligence of that person’s employers, you have rights to file a lawsuit against the responsible individual(s). To discuss your case, contact our Virginia personal injury lawyers from The Barrera Law Firm, PLLC today. Backed with over 30 years of legal experience, our team can provide aggressive representation to help you and your family recover maximum financial compensation for your injuries or losses. When you become our client, we will treat your with compassion as we relentlessly fight for your rights and future.
Don’t wait. Pursue justice by calling the Virginia personal injury attorneys from The Barrera Law Firm, PLLC today!