In Florida, injured workers are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to cover medical treatment and lost wages.
OSHA and Labor Department Violations
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates workplace safety. However, this small agency has only about 2,000 inspectors available to inspect more than 8 million websites with a total of about 130 million workers. Dangerous conditions thus often avoid OSHA detection until a serious or fatal accident occurs. This inability to enforce OSHA regulations leaves workers vulnerable to workplace injuries and deaths. The most cited violations by OSHA are common in the construction industry, including:
- Fall protection deficiencies in harnesses, ropes and platforms
- Collapse of scaffolding, resulting in falls and objects falling upon workers
- Insufficient respiratory protection, leading to lung disease
- Lockout and tagout of energy that results in electrocution
- Problems with powered industrial trucks and heavy equipment
- Defective ladders that topple or break
- Faulty electrical wiring and electrical systems design that give rise to fires and electrocution
- Missing or deficient machinery and machine guards that allow fingers, hair and clothing to get caught and shards of material to fly into eyes