The Brownsville Herald reports that federal regulators have proposed a little over fifty thousand dollars worth of fines for Mason Well Service of Odessa in relation to an oil field accident earlier this year. The incident occurred on March 10th and ended in the tragic deaths of three men. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the company for six serious safety violations in relation to the accident. Unfortunately, deadly workplace injuries are far too common. While state and federal safety regulations are in place, victims need to seek the assistance of an attorney to recover rightfully. Any work injury caused by negligence deserved to be fully and fairly compensated. Ronald A. Ramos is an experienced Texas attorney who will make certain that injured victims have their legal rights fully protected.
OSHA Found Multiple Major Safety Violations Led To The Deaths
In the news release from OSHA, the agency’s Lubbock area director, Elizabeth Linda Routh, described this tragedy as both heartbreaking and senseless. The agency determined that there were two primary major safety issues. First, the company failed to prevent contact between flammable industrial chemicals and an ignition source. This caused a massive and devastating fire. Even worse than safety violation was compounded by the fact that the workers were not wearing the appropriate flame retardant clothing.
OSHA Fined The Company The Maximum Allowable Amount
A fifty thousand dollar fine seems like a relatively minor amount for six serious safety violations that resulted in three deaths. And, it is. fifty thousand is an extremely small amount compared to the devastation to the victim’s families the safety violations caused. But, those fines are the maximum fines OSHA is allowed to issue by law. OSHA has a federally mandated penalty schedule which it must follow. Penalties on this schedule only take into account how serious the violation was in the abstract and if the company has been cited for OSHA violations in the past. The fact that these specific violations led to three tragic deaths is not a factor for OSHA penalties. This highlights the importance of a workplace injury attorney. The families of victims of killed by workplace safety violations are entitled to justice, and the company must be held responsible for its negligent actions. In the case of serious safety violations that lead to wrongful death, the OSHA safety violation citations can be used as admissible evidence that can help establish negligence.
Contact An Experienced San Antonio Work Injury Attorney
Government regulators like OSHA will penalize companies with relatively small amounts of money for safety violations, but full compensation for you or your family member requires an experienced and aggressive attorney. Ronald A. Ramos is a Texas work injury attorney committed to seeking justice for injured victims. If you, or a loved one, have been involved in any workplace accident, please contact the Law Offices of Ronald A. Ramos to set up a consultation today.
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