New Jersey waste and recycle giant Action Environmental Group has implemented company-wide measures to improve employee safety and minimize the risk of workers’ compensation claims.

According to the company’s Director of Safety, Ken Levine, the company has been using video cameras for more than a year, filming employees as they go about their duties on the road and during trash pickups. The stated objectives of the program—to learn from any accidents or incidents that do occur, and to provide training opportunities to all employees.

Levine said that the cameras, mounted on the dashboard of each vehicle, monitor both the driver and the road ahead, so that company officials can determine reactions to different situations. Company officials do not review the videos, but send them over to a third party for analysis and to determine if drivers are following safety guidelines and abiding by the laws, specifically with respect to seat belts and other safety measures. If the third-party vendor observes violations, the tapes are sent to Action Environmental and are used to coach employees to avoid safety risks.

According to Levine, during the first three months of the program, there was nearly a 50% drop in the incidents of risky behavior by drivers. He said the company has also seen a similar decrease in workers’ compensation claims filed by company employees. The company has also used videotape as evidence in workers’ compensation proceedings.

Contact the Law Office of Taylor & Boguski

At Taylor & Boguski, we bring more than 70 years of combined legal experience to injured people throughout New Jersey. For a free initial consultation, contact us online or call us at 856-200-8989.

Construction Accidents, Third Party Liability, and Workers’ Comp

Mount Laurel Third Party Construction Accident Attorneys

While workers’ compensation covers medical costs for work – related construction accident injuries, it doesn’t always cover lost wages or pain and suffering. That’s important to remember in cases where construction accident injuries involve negligence on the part of a contractor or subcontractor other than your employer. In fact, it’s not uncommon for painters, electricians, carpenters, drywallers, and concrete workers to come and go, each working for a different employer. As a result, it’s not uncommon for certain safety violations to occur, resulting in construction site accident injuries that incur costs beyond what workers’ compensation can cover.

Third Party Liability and Construction Site Accidents

If you’ve been injured due to negligence on the part of a contractor or subcontractor, your employer’s worker compensation should cover most of your initial medical costs. However, if your injuries are serious and result in partial or long-term disability, workers’ compensation may only cover a portion of the total financial impact of your injuries. For instance, serious head trauma, spinal cord injuries, burns, or amputations often involve pain and suffering and long-term costs that exceed what you can recover through workers’ compensation benefits.

Holding Third Parties Legally and Financially Liable for Your Injuries

A negligent electrician, backhoe driver, crane operator, welder, or carpenter isn’t going to volunteer information regarding their negligence. As a result, you’ll need to work with an experienced construction accident attorney who has access to the necessary investigative resources needed to expose OSHA violations and departures from New Jersey state law governing everything from the use of ladders, scaffolding, asphalt, electrical work, drywall, concrete, and heavy equipment at construction sites. This involves collecting eyewitness statements, reviewing company records, collecting evidence from the scene of the accident, and reconstructing what happened.

Contact Mount Laurel Construction Accident Attorneys at Taylor & Boguski

If you’ve been injured in a construction site accident, there may be other considerations beyond what your workers’ compensation benefits will pay. If your injuries were caused in part by the actions of a third party, you may be able to collect additional compensation to offset the long-term financial consequences of your injuries.

To discuss your case and learn more about our personal injury practice and how we can help you, contact Mount Laurel construction accident injury attorneys at Taylor & Boguski today.

Workers’ Compensation Claims – Do I need to See My Doctor?

Mount Laurel Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

If you’ve been injured in a work-related accident, your employer’s worker’s compensation insurer will likely ask you to see one of their doctors to verify your injuries and condition. While this may seem reasonable and simply part of the worker’s compensation process, don’t assume the doctor who exams you is primarily interested in making sure you are okay and being taken care of. A doctor that works for an insurer is interested in determining if your injuries are due in part to a prior condition or as serious as you claim.

In this capacity, an insurance doctor is in part an agent of the insurer and has an incentive to protect the interests of the insurer. As a result, the severity of your injuries may be questioned or downplayed while your length of recovery shortened by recommendation of the doctor.

Consult Your Doctor | Protecting Your Interest after a Work – Related Injury

Under New Jersey’s worker’s compensation laws, an employer (or the employer’s insurer) can select the doctor you have to see. However, you can elect to consult your own doctor if you tell your employer (or their insurance carrier) that you are under the care of a particular doctor. If your employer requires you to see a particular doctor you should be able to see your own doctor after a certain amount of time has passed or to get a second opinion. However, you may be responsible for any expense incurred in seeing a doctor of your selection.

Getting a Second Opinion | Disputes and Worker’s Compensation Claims

When you see the insurance doctor, you’ll likely be asked a series of questions about your medical history and the accident that injured you. If the insurance doctor has reason to believe your injuries are due completely or in part to a prior condition, you benefits may be reduced or denied altogether.

For example, suppose you suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome after being on the job for a year and a half. The insurance doctor might ask if you’ve ever had trouble with your wrist or arm before. Suppose you play guitar and tell the doctor that you’ve struggled on and off with pain and soreness for a few years. He might conclude that your injury is due to your guitar playing and constitutes a prior condition.

At this point, if your claim is denied or you contest the benefits offered, you’ll have to file a Claim Petition or Application for an Informal Hearing with the Division of Workers’ Compensation. Being prepared with a second opinion from your doctor may provide grounds for honoring or increasing your claim if the court is persuaded by the facts.

Contact Mount Laurel Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Taylor & Boguski

Employers don’t always inform their employees about their rights, nor do they always treat them fairly when it comes to protecting their job and returning to work. If you’ve been injured on the job, it’s important to talk to an experienced workers’ compensation attorney to ensure your rights are protected. To learn more about your rights under New Jersey workers’ compensation laws, contact Mount Laurel workers’ compensation attorneys at Taylor & Boguski.