July 16, 2012
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently ordered the Norfolk, Virginia-based freight train company, Norfolk Southern Railway Co., to pay more than $800,000 in damages to three former employees who were fired after they filed Norfolk Workers’ Compensation claims. According to EHS Today, the company is also being forced to pay more than $500,000 in punitive damages.
The fines are in response to three cases of wrongful termination after an employee was injured. The first accident occurred on August 14 2009 when an employee was injured after being struck by a company vehicle. The employee filed an injury claim and was fired a short time later for improper performance of job duties.
Just seven months later, another worker was fired after filing an injury claim stemming from a fall, on the grounds that the claims were falsified. The company attempted the same tactic with another employee in July 2010, just days after declaring him an excellent worker for never having missed a day of work due to injury.
A closer look at the cases by OSHA investigators uncovered the flaws and resulted in the awarded damages.
The Norfolk Personal Injury Lawyers with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley would encourage anyone who is injured while working at no fault of their own to report the injury to OSHA. Then, it is vital that you only discuss your case with an experienced attorney from that point on.
