Demopolis Legal Issues Blog

Workers generally have the right to a safe workplace and when that has been compromised, different protections are available to help protect them. Both federal and state laws require employers to provide their employees with a safe workplace and a safe working environment and it is important that workers are familiar with their protections and rights in the workplace.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act is a federal law designed to protect workers from unsafe workplaces. This includes protections from both workplace injuries and occupational illnesses. To help keep workers safe, employers are required to provide a workplace that is free of health and safely hazards that might cause serious injuries or death; keep a record of injuries, exposures to hazardous materials and deaths in the workplace; provide any necessary safety training; and post OSHA safety training notices in the workplace.

You may see commercial trucks on the road every time you drive. While these large vehicles may have intimidated you when you first learned to drive, your years of driving experience may allow you to feel more comfortable driving near them. However, it can be important to avoid becoming complacent around trucks.

Truck collisions may be more common and more hazardous than you realize. In 2017, over 4,000 people in the U.S. died in large truck crashes. Typically, when a truck and a passenger vehicle collide, the occupants of the smaller vehicle receive injuries that are much more severe than what the trucker receives. The reckless actions of truck drivers cause many of these collisions. However, your safe driving habits can help minimize your risk of being hit by a truck.

Defective medical devices can cause significant harm and injuries to victims which is why they need to be familiar with the legal protections available to help them when they have been harmed. Personal injury legal remedies can help victims who have suffered injuries and harm because of defective medical devices.

Medical devices are regulated federally and there are a host of protections available to injured victims including the option to bring a personal injury claim to hold manufacturers of defective medical devices accountable and ensure injured victims receive the help they need with their physical, financial and emotional injuries that result from a defective medical device. Under federal law, medical devices are defined as instruments, apparatuses, machines, implants or other similar articles used for the treatment or prevention of diseases.

Unfortunately, the facts are that one out of every four Americans will become disabled by the age 67 and will be unable to work to earn a living. That is where Social Security disability insurance steps in to help protect disabled individuals with their needs and expenses while they are unable to work to support themselves and their families.

There are certain criteria that disabled individuals will have to meet to receive Social Security disability (SSD) benefits. Disabled individuals will need to meet both the medical condition and work history requirements to qualify for SSD benefits. Social Security disability insurance is paid into by workers through their taxes so it is necessary to have the required number of work history credits to qualify for benefits.