Articles Posted in Workers’ Compensation

An interesting article in the New York Times discussed an important criticism of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, that it was not doing its stated job of protecting workers. While the article was quick to say that many OSHA investigators care very much about worker safety, the problem is that the agency as a whole has given little attention to protecting employees from more insidious long-term harms.

The article specifically discussed the story of a woman who worked in a factory in North Carolina gluing furniture cushions. The woman was exposed to a dangerous chemical known as n-propyl bromide, which has been found to cause problems such as neurological damage and infertility, even in those workers who were exposed to relatively low levels of the substance. Despite the dangers of the chemical which have been widely reported, OSHA has done very little to prevent other workers from suffering harm.

Though OSHA has frequently been accused of being overzealous in its pursuit of some companies, other groups have criticized the safety agency for ignoring more complicated, long-term problems in favor of handling isolated workplace accident cases. The Times said that it’s clear that OSHA spends the majority of its time and money handling issues of specific dangers while ignoring the slow killers that ultimately prove to be deadlier.

A major poultry processing plant in Mississippi was cited by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration after the conclusion of a recent investigation into the death of a worker. The OSHA report says that that the Southern Hens Inc. plant was cited with 43 safety and health violations discovered in connection to the death of an employee in 2012.

OSHA says in a press release that it launched the investigation after a September 2012 accident where a plant worker slipped and fell into an unguarded screw conveyor while cleaning equipment. The accident happened at the company’s Moselle, MS facility located in Jones County.

Of the 43 violations discovered, 37 amounted to what OSHA has labeled “serious safety and health violations.” Serious violations are those that contain a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer either knew or should have known.

Given recent reports about the safety problems at Mississippi poultry processing plants, a recent report issued by the Southern Poverty Law Center about the injuries suffered by workers in the nation’s chicken plants comes at an important moment. The report, “Unsafe at These Speeds,” discusses how workers, primarily at facilities in the southern U.S., are frequently forced to endure dreadful workplace conditions that result in injuries and illnesses. The report also discusses how new rules crafted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) could result in workers being placed in even greater harm.

The biggest problem identified in the report is the speed that workers must process each chicken that comes down the line. The pace of the average worker is unimaginably fast for most people and it puts employees at serious risk for a wide variety of injuries.

Another problem that is seen often in poultry processing plants is carpal tunnel syndrome. The cold temperatures in the plants and the repetitive motions that workers must do every day put them at much greater risk for musculo-skeletal problems and joint issues. Their awkward posture while working on the line and a total lack of ergonomic support also leads to back problems and shoulder pain. The factors combine to mean that poultry workers are 2.5 times more likely to suffer carpal tunnel issues than those that do not work in the industry.

Liles B. Williams is the Chair of the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. It is his responsibility to manage the agency that handles all reports of work-related injuries in the state of Mississippi. He sees his role as two-fold: control costs so that employers are not overburdened and ensure fairness to those injured on the job. Williams said, “[Y]ou have to balance [the] scale, and provide the highest quality of service. For example, we don’t want workers to go to doctors without a lot of experience in that particular area.”

In recent years, Mississippi has intensified its focus on workplace safety. The statistics reveal that that emphasis has benefited Mississippi workers. The number of workers’ compensation claims has decreased dramatically since 1994. During that time, over 20,000 claims were reported per year. Now, it is just over 11,000 workers’ compensation claims reported to the commission. Another factor in the decrease in claims is the shift from manufacturing and construction jobs to service-oriented and information-based employment, decreasing the possibility of injury to employees.

Williams notes that nearly 90% of the claims are settled between the employer and the worker without a hearing. If either party does not like the settlement offer, they can file a petition to controvert the settlement. Once that petition is filed, the case is assigned to one of the eight administrative law judges employed by the Commission. Williams says that the case usually settles while waiting for a full hearing, but if the parties do go to a hearing, the administrative law judge rules on the claim. Either party can appeal the ruling to the full commission, which includes Williams and two others. The full commission renders a decision, which can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court.