Gas line punctured after Colorado Springs project goes awry

Mar 29 2014

A construction project that was meant to help install a future cable line under a street in Colorado Springs led to a serious, though injury free, accident recently. The construction crew that was working the project dug up the street and punctured a gas line, and Colorado Springs Utilities says the “area was clearly marked for underground lines.” The source article doesn’t clarify whether that was in defense of the construction project or if it was an indicator that they made a mistake. In any case, this story highlights two things: the incredible danger that is present at any construction…

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Shale oil project to reach into western Colorado

Mar 19 2014

As many Colorado residents are aware, shale oil is a prominent resource in the state. Colorado residents may also be aware of the controversy surrounding the process of obtaining shale oil. The process, called “hydraulic fracturing” or “fracking,” has been criticized in recent years. There may be renewed efforts on that front given a recent announcement by Exxon Mobil, which will push into western Colorado to try and obtain more shale oil. The project will create a lot of opportunities for employees. The project will be done in phases as Exxon Mobil attempts to acquire a projected 600 million barrels…

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Daylight Saving Time affects work safety and injuries

Mar 13 2014

Many Denver residents celebrated on Sunday as we moved the clocks forward. With the introduction of Daylight Saving Time, there will be more hours of sunlight for us to enjoy. Of course, the flip side to Daylight Saving Time is a little less sleep for everyone — a small price to pay for an extra hour of light. Or is it that small of price? The first few days, or even a full week, after Daylight Saving Time is active makes for a difficult time as people try to adjust their sleep schedules. As a result, work productivity may suffer…

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Hundreds of millions in unpaid wages for Coloradans

Mar 06 2014

$750 million is a staggering amount of money. It’s more than most people could spend in a lifetime, if not multiple lifetimes. However, it may surprise you to learn that $750 million is less than 1 percent of all the wages earned by people in Colorado in a given year — and it’s a figure that employers are filing to pay their employees. Yes, roughly $750 million in unpaid wages have affected at least 500,000 workers — whether they know it or not — in Colorado. Usually these wages affect low-income workers and construction workers, as employers don’t pay, fail…

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Radiation exposure for 13 employees at nuclear waste site

Feb 27 2014

A terrifying workplace accident caused numerous employees to suffer harm in ways that few people want to think about. The incident happened to the south of Colorado, in an underground nuclear waste facility. The complex, called the Waste Isolation Pilot Project, suffered a radiation leak on Feb. 14, which caused 13 people to be exposed and contaminated with radiation. While the exact cause of the leak is still a mystery, there are a couple of theories that seem very plausible. A roof collapse could have caused the spill; while another cause could have been a poorly-operated forklift that punctured a…

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Footwear, clean premises are crucial to preventing falls at work

Feb 19 2014

It is only natural for news stories that relate to workplace accidents and work injuries to focus on the negatives, such as how an employee was reckless or how an employer failed to uphold safety standards and protocols. While these aspects are obviously important to any workplace accident case (may they happen here in Denver, Colorado or a remote corner of the country) it is obviously better to never have the accident in the first place. So what can employees and employers alike do to help prevent these accidents? When you consider that roughly 15 percent of fall incidents account…

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Fall from fire escape kills roofing worker in Colorado Springs

Feb 11 2014

Tragedy struck a roofing workplace recently in Colorado Springs after a man fell from a fire escape and died at the scene. The accident — which, given the circumstances, could have happened anywhere — saw the man fall somewhere between 15 and 20 feet according to police. The man was part of a roofing crew that was working on the building where the accident took place. The police have labeled this an “industrial accident.” Now all of the attention turns to the investigation. The police will try to determine what exactly happened on that fire escape; why the man unexpectedly…

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Mining accidents under microscope after poor numbers in 2013

Feb 05 2014

Mining accidents are usually tragic — although you could replace the term “mining” with any other industry that involves heavy machinery or hard labor, and the statement would remain true. This is why workers’ compensation is so important for people in the construction and mining industries. They work in an area that is inherently dangerous, where heavy materials and powerful machines are lifted, loaded and operated. If anything goes wrong, these huge objects can catastrophically or fatally injure a worker. This isn’t to say that other workplaces have less of a need for workers’ compensation benefits. But in these dangerous…

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