Recently in Texas and other states there has been a new trend emerging where employers are choosing to “opt out” of the traditional Worker’s Compensation benefit scheme. By opting out of the Worker’s Compensation scheme companies are self-insuring themselves and foregoing protections that Worker’s Compensation provides to the company when an employee is injured on…
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The Texas Tribune just released an article concerning the vast number of injuries suffered by Texas workers every year. The Tribune focused on the poor documentation of those injuries, noting that poor documentation doesn’t just mean poor paperwork – it often means the difference for a worker on whether the worker gets proper medical coverage…
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On Friday, August 14, Conroe was rocked by a massive explosion at the DrillChem Drilling Services plant on North Loop 336. Investigators now say that they do not suspect foul play. The explosion and fire, which started about 4:30 in the afternoon, took about four hours for firefighters to bring under control. There are no…
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According to new Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, the rate of Latino construction worker fatalities on job sites has continued to rise from 2010-2013. This alarming rate has coincided with a declining fatality rate for non-Latinos. This disproportionate rate of fatalities to total industry population has leaders searching for answers. As recent as 2010…
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In a public meeting this month, Randy Clements, a manager of DuPont’s La Porte plant, addressed lapses in safety procedures that played a part in the deaths of four workers at the plant last November. The special meeting held within the La Porte Citizen’s Advisory Council (CAC) was called to address further citations issued on…
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Texas, along with Oklahoma, has withdrawn from the workers’ compensation system. This means that employers are not required to participate in workers’ comp. It also means employees whose employers do not voluntarily provide workers comp coverage in Texas and Oklahoma will have to file lawsuits against their employers if they suffer a workplace injury — the very…
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Last week, this blog discussed some past elevator accidents in Houston and beyond. This post reports on more recent elevator accidents and describes staps the state has taken to reduce elevator accidents. In December, 2011, a housekeeper fell to her death down an elevator shaft at a hotel in San Antonio. In 2009, a woman…
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An older article in the Houston Press focused on elevator accidents in Houston, in Texas, and around the United States. It’s a lengthy, detailed and sobering story. Not much has changed since the story was originally written, so this post will summarize it. Our next post will discuss the steps the state has taken to…
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