According to a news report in Risk & Insurance Online, a recent New Jersey Court ruling will allow employees to potentially hold their employer accountable for on-the-job accidents. Under New Jersey law, an employee usually may not sue an employer directly for injuries sustained in a workplace accident. Normally, the only claim an employee may make against his/her employer for a job-related injury is for workers compensation benefits. However, the ruling permitted a direct claim by the employee against the employer because there was evidence that the employer willfully violated federal regulations set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Under Federal law and New Jersey law, employers are required to provide a safe and healthy work environment for their workers. When employers knowingly put their employees in danger they may be held liable for the injuries, damages and losses that result.
The New Jersey work injury lawyers at Blume Forte have a long history of successfully securing compensation for injured workers in our state, including the pursuit of direct claims by employees against their employers. Call us at 973-845-4421 for a no-cost consultation and comprehensive evaluation of your potential work injury claim, and, to see whether or not your employer’s conduct was sufficiently willful so as to permit the filing of a direct action against the employer.