Part of the government’s job is to make sure employers are keeping their workers safe. An injury on the job can cost a worker his or her livelihood.
Santa Ana, CA (PRWEB) March 22, 2014
California has an “inadequate” number of state workplace inspectors compared to other states, according to a recent study, the Los Angeles Times reports. Santa Ana workplace accident lawyer Shaun Ahmad of California Law Associates said the report raises serious questions about the safety of workers throughout the state.
Ahmad expressed his comments in response to a Feb. 10, 2014, article in the Los Angeles Times about the lack of state workplace inspectors.
“When inspectors don’t show up, some companies will take safety shortcuts. They might put their quest for profits ahead of the importance of keeping their employees safe from harm,” Ahmad said. “This is a dangerous move. It’s putting people’s lives at risk. Part of the government’s job is to make sure employers are keeping their workers safe. An injury on the job can cost a worker his or her livelihood. As workplace accident attorneys, we have handled many difficult cases and know how a serious injury can have a devastating impact on an individual and his or her family.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit, Washington, DC-based whistleblower group, planned to file a formal complaint with the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) over the shortage of workplace inspectors in California.
The nonprofit group based its complaint on a report analyzing the number of inspectors employed by California Division of Occupational Safety & Health (Cal/OSHA), the Los Angeles Times reported. Specifically, the report noted Cal/OSHA currently has 170 workplace inspectors working in California. As a result, there is one inspector for every 109,000 workers in California. In contrast, in states where the federal government and OSHA are responsible for workplace safety inspections, there is one workplace inspector for every 66,000 people, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The State of California disputes such figures, claiming there are currently 182 workplace inspectors, with plans to add 41 inspectors after July 1, 2014, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In 2012, there were more than 15,000 workplace safety violations in California cited by Cal/OSHA, according to the Los Angeles Times. That figure is less than early in the 2000s and 1990s, when there were an estimated 20,000 workplace safety violations every year in California, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Such figures are still too high and more needs to be done to protect workers from harmful accidents, attorney Ahmad said.
“More than 40 violations every day in California is not acceptable,” Ahmad said. “People’s lives are on the line every time there’s a serious workplace safety violation. We hope that the complaint filed against Cal-OSHA leads to positive changes for workplace safety.”
For more information about the rights of people injured or killed in workplace accidents in California and the legal options available to families of accident victims, call (714) 542-3377 or complete the online contact form.
The Los Angeles Times article cited is “Group to file complaint against Cal/OSHA over staffing levels.”
About California Law Associates
For nearly two decades, California Law Associates has employed experienced, knowledgeable lawyers with more than 50 years of combined personal injury law experience. They thoroughly understand the state’s complicated personal injury laws and handle a wide variety of cases, from auto accidents to workplace injuries. California Law Associates serves Santa Ana, Orange County, Riverside County and communities throughout the Southern California area. Shaun Ahmad, lead attorney, has been practicing personal injury law since 1995. He works closely with each client to design a strategy that suits his or her unique legal needs. Attorney Ahmad has a strong track record for obtaining large, sometimes multi-million-dollar settlements or verdicts.
California Law Associates
2107 N. Broadway, Suite 201
Santa Ana, CA 92706
(714) 542-3377
http://www.attorney4u.us/