April 20, 2011 marked a year when workers were pushed to finish drilling faster than what some thought was safe, causing the BP well to spew 206 million gallons of oil, and thus, triggering the worst environmental and economic disaster to ever occur in the Gulf Coast. Eleven workers were killed.
On average, 16 workers in the U.S. die each day from injuries sustained at work, and 134 are estimated to die from work-related diseases or exposure to toxic substances leading to death years later. An estimated 9,000 workers are treated in daily in emergency rooms due to work-related injuries with approximately 200 being hospitalized. Many of these injuries and deaths could have been prevented is employers had decided that safety was a priority.
April 28 is Worker’s Memorial Day; an international day to remember workers that have been injured, disabled, or killed on the job. It is also the 40th anniversary of the Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA) and the date the OSHA Health and Safety Act went into effect, both contributing to saving an estimated 431,000 lives since 1970. There is still work to do be done in addressing new hazards, tougher enforcement, and workers’ safety rights. Worker’s Memorial Day encourages us to stand for health and safety on the job.
Mark Bello has thirty-three years experience as a trial lawyer and twelve years as an underwriter and situational analyst in the lawsuit funding industry. He is the owner and founder of Lawsuit Financial Corporation which helps provide legal finance cash flow solutions and consulting when necessities of life litigation funding is needed by plaintiffs involved in pending, personal injury litigation. Bello is a Justice Pac member of the American Association for Justice, Sustaining and Justice Pac member of the Michigan Association for Justice, Business Associate of the Florida, Tennessee, and Colorado Associations for Justice, a member of the American Bar Association as well as their ABA Advisory Committee, the State Bar of Michigan and the Injury Board.
