Workplace Injury Articles

Safety is a major concern these days when it comes to natural gas pipelines throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and other states. In fact, just recently the Post Gazette discussed this issue extensively when they referenced an explosion that occurred near Charleston:  ….but the pipeline explosion Tuesday near Sissonville, along Interstate 77, 15 miles north of Charleston, highlights its often overlooked and sometimes fiery risks. There are more than 2.5 million miles of pipelines running through the U.S., approximately 60,000 of which are in Pennsylvania. Concerns have heightened as new pipelines are laid to service burgeoning shale gas development in Pennsylvania and other states, and older pipelines corrode and crack, increasing the possibility of leaks and accidental explosions. A recent federal report found more than half of the pipelines in the U.S. are 50 years old or older. And while the West Virginia pipeline accident didn’t cause any injuries or fatalities, the U.S. Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration data show pipeline accidents have caused the deaths of 68 people nationwide in the last five years, 21 of those pipeline workers. Natural gas pipelines throughout the State of West Virginia operate under very high pressures and explosions can result

Many people are only aware of the dangers of asbestos exposure in the workplace, but another chemical called Benzene is also one of the more common chemicals that can cause workers to suffer illness. What is Benzene? Benzene is widely used in the chemical industry to make various detergents, drugs, pesticides, plastics, resins, rubbers, dyes, and lubricants. Generally, you can be exposed to Benzene from either absorption through the skin or through inhalation. Workers in the petroleum industry and those in any industry where Benzene is used in the manufacturing process are at an increased risk of Benzene exposure and the associated health risks. Even exposure for short periods of time can put you at an increased risk a Benzene related illness, including cancer. Some illnesses associated with Benzene exposure are: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Aplastic Anemia Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) If you were exposed to Benzene years ago and you are now sick, your illness may be caused by your exposure to Benzene. Even if your exposure was decades before you were diagnosed with cancer, your illness may have been caused by your exposure to Benzene. Segal & Amos, PLLC works with

Some of the most common cases we see at Segal & Amos, PLLC are workplace injury cases. Handling and storing materials can present many worker hazards that can cause catastrophic injuries. Manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and workplaces with mixed operating functions present special hazards for workers.  Operations in handling and storing materials often involve hoisting tons of product with crane, driving loaded trucks, operating stacked forklifts and manually stacking and carrying drums, barrels and blocks.  The improper handling and storage of materials results in injuries and fatalities. Hazards include the following: Being caught in pinch points Being struck by falling material Being hit by mobile equipment Employers and management have a duty to evaluate the work environment and apply general and specific safety principles and training in order to reduce workplace accidents. Segal & Amos Experience The lawyers at Segal & Amos, PLLC successfully represented a man who was severely and permanently injured at his workplace in a plant. The worker was a train operator who had the job of making rolling train transfers of product and materials from one part of the plant to others. The area where he was working was highly congested with machinery operating, processing taking place,