Our careers and chosen professions are incredibly important to our sense of well-being and accomplishment in life, so when it is taken away by a tragic accident, it can be devastating. Of course, no job is completely safe from all risk of injury, but you generally trust your employer to do everything in their power to provide a work environment that mitigates those risks. Sadly that doesn’t always happen. Companies often let the bottom line come before the safety of their workers.
Sometimes, their heart might be in the right place, but they neglect important safety features that could have prevented a workplace injury. When an injury does occur, though, they have a responsibility to the injured worker. That responsibility includes making sure medical expenses and rehabilitation are taken care of by workers’ compensation.
Three workers in New York were injured in early July while working on a transformer at Pier 86 in Manhattan. As the employees worked on a transformer on the pier they were shocked and all three were burned. Two had burns on their arms and were taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the other worker was being looked at on the scene. No details have emerged as to whether they were employees of the nearby Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum or if they were contractors. The museum was closed for the entire day because they had no power and no one was available to comment.
When you’re involved in an accident on the job, the employer should have workers’ compensation insurance to cover your recovery, but claims for workers’ comp don’t always get approved, often because an employer tries to avoid responsibility. If your claim has been denied in New York, an attorney may be able to help you appeal the decision.
Source: nypost.com, “3 workers injured near Intrepid Museum,” Matt McNulty, July 8, 2014
