OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is a government agency under the Department of Labor. It is responsible for making sure the workplace is safe. The OSHA has a mission to help prevent work-related illnesses, injuries and deaths. In the case of a workplace injury, many times OSHA is required by law to investigate the event leading up to the injury. The OSHA will try to determine if the company was responsible for your injury due to negligence or because the working conditions were not safe. The results of this investigation can impact your workers’ comp claim. How Does the OSHA Affect You? If you have been injured on the job you may need to speak to an OSHA representative in order for them to determine if hazardous working conditions caused your injury. Meeting with a representative from OSHA can be stressful and you may find it advantageous to bring an attorney with you to the interview to ensure you understand the questions and to protect your interests. Company representatives will also be interviewed during the investigation and they often have their attorneys present to represent their interests. Do You Need Help? If OSHA determines that the workplace conditions were adequate and the injury was the result of employee negligence, it can negatively impact your workers’ comp claim. Having an attorney on your side during an OSHA investigation can be of great assistance. It will give you peace of mind knowing that you have someone representing you and your interests during the meeting and it will help make the entire process less intimidating. For more information on how to connect with a workers' compensation attorney, simply take our Free Evaluation.
