Toms River New Jersey Personal Injury Law Blog

From 2014 to 2018, Tesla's auto production facility in Fremont, California, was issued a total of 54 OSHA violations: three times more than all the top 10 auto plants in the U.S. combined. During those five years, Nissan was issued the second-highest number of violations, which was five. Following it are Toyota and Ford with four violations each. This trend may be important for those in New Jersey who are anticipating Tesla's self-driving cars.

Tesla's OSHA violations made up 75 percent of all the violations among the top 10 despite the fact that, overall, Tesla ranks seventh in terms of estimated production capacity. The Tesla CEO states that production line tweaks could allow the Fremont facility to start producing 7,000 vehicles a week. The next goal would be 10,000 vehicles a week.

Adults and children in New Jersey have the basic right to expect to be in public without being subjected to attacks from dogs. Still, there are times when dangerous or vicious dogs attack people and inflict potentially serious injuries from bites. What's particularly problematic about a dog bite is the risk of infection. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that infections result from about 10 to 15 percent of dog bites.

The reason why dog bites often become infected is that they often happen in places where it's more difficult for the body to fight infection, such as hands and fingers. Various species of bacteria can multiply after a bite occurs and produce symptoms that may include fluid or pus coming from the wound, tenderness or red streaks around the bite, muscle weakness, fatigue, limited use of the affected hand or limb, and/or fever. Puncture wounds from bites may develop into tetanus, a serious bacterial disease that affects the nervous system.

Winter weather can pose serious health concerns for workers in New Jersey, especially those with outdoor jobs. Cold weather is often accompanied by ice, snow, cold winds and other conditions that can pose a serious risk to workplace safety. While many people know that working in the heat can lead to heat exhaustion, working in the cold can also lead to hazardous stress on the body. Cold stress includes all of the potential effects of very low temperatures, including numbness, frostbite and hypothermia. Damp air and contact with cold water can exacerbate these symptoms.

It's important that workers understand that shivering can be a symptom of serious cold stress. As the body's temperature decreases, blood may flow away from fingers and toes, leaving exposed skin especially at risk for frostbite. Severe hypothermia can also develop with continued cold exposure, leading to brain damage and other serious injuries. Some workers are at greater risk than others, especially those who may be ill or less physically fit. Employees in agriculture, construction, food processing and fishing may be at the greatest risk for cold-related workplace injuries.

Many construction workers in New Jersey routinely work on scaffolds. The safe use of these platforms depend on well-maintained equipment, competent people installing equipment and fall prevention practices. Many worksites, however, fail to observe best practices, and collapses and falls injure and kill many workers. In 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued 3,900 citations for improper scaffolding practices, making them the third most common category of safety violation.

Every year, scaffold accidents cost employers roughly $90 million because of lost productivity. About 4,500 construction workers experience scaffold accidents each year, and several dozen die. The Bureau of Labor Statistics attributes the bulk of these incidents to falls and substandard platforms.