Pennsylvania Personal Injury Lawyers of Dougherty, Leventhal & Price, LLP » drilling rig workers compensation http://www.dlplaw.com Dougherty, Leventhal & Price, LLP Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:27:57 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Pennsylvania Jurisdiction in Well Drilling Work Injury http://www.dlplaw.com/2010/01/14/pennsylvania-jurisdiction-in-well-drilling-work-injury/ http://www.dlplaw.com/2010/01/14/pennsylvania-jurisdiction-in-well-drilling-work-injury/#comments Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:37:27 +0000 Tom Cummings http://www.dlplaw.com/2010/01/14/pennsylvania-jurisdiction-in-well-drilling-work-injury/ Paul had worked for a Texas-based natural gas drilling company out of Texas for a number of years. The company started to develop drilling sites in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and Paul was put up at a hotel close to the drilling site. Paul had never had an accident in the ten previous years he had worked, despite doing very physical types of activities while working with the various drills on the sites.

Paul’s good fortune ran out though, and he jammed his hand on one of the drill bits, seriously injuring the hand. Paul’s employer was insistent that since Paul was employed out of Texas and the employer was based out of Texas, that he would have to file his comp claim under Texas law.

Issue: Is Paul’s employer correct?

Answer: No. In Pennsylvania, regardless of where an employer is principally located and/or where a contract for hire was entered into, if an injury occurs in Pennsylvania, then Pennsylvania has jurisdiction and Paul will be entitled to benefits under Pennsylvania law. Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation benefits are, for the most part, far more generous, and the injured worker is provided far more protection than in other states, especially states in the South and Midwest.

Disclaimer: The above article is for instructive purposes only and each case is fact sensitive. Consultation with an attorney should be obtained instead of reliance upon the legal issues discussed in this column.

]]> http://www.dlplaw.com/2010/01/14/pennsylvania-jurisdiction-in-well-drilling-work-injury/feed/ 0 Pennsylvania Workers’ Injuries in the Gas Drillling Industry http://www.dlplaw.com/2010/01/08/pennsylvania-workers-injuries-in-the-gas-drillling-industry/ http://www.dlplaw.com/2010/01/08/pennsylvania-workers-injuries-in-the-gas-drillling-industry/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:44:09 +0000 Tom Cummings http://www.dlplaw.com/2010/01/08/pennsylvania-workers-injuries-in-the-gas-drillling-industry/ In Pennsylvania, the Department of Labor and Industry monitors and administers the codes and regulations which affect the safety of our workforce. The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (“the BWC”) administers laws which assure that workers are insured against job-related injury, illness, or death. The Health and Safety Division of the BWC is responsible for enforcement of the health and safety regulations of the Workers’ Compensation Act.
The Bureau of Occupational and Industrial Safety is responsible for the administration and enforcement of various provisions and regulations including the Uniform Construction Code, the Fire and Panic Law, the Universal Accessibility Law, the General Safety Law, the Boiler Law, and the Elevator Law. Also included in the purview of the Bureau of Occupational and Industrial Safety is the enforcement of the provisions of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Law and the Flammable & Combustible Liquids Law.

With the burgeoning growth of the natural drilling industry in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale field, it’s important that the workers in this industry can be assured of a safe work environment. It’s also important that these workers are aware of the rights and remedies available to them in the event that they suffer a work injury. The team of lawyers at Dougherty, Leventhal & Price are ready to answer your questions on workplace safety and the workers’ compensation system. If you do suffer a work injury, contact us and we will be happy to represent you and guide you through the litigation of your workers’ compensation claim.

]]> http://www.dlplaw.com/2010/01/08/pennsylvania-workers-injuries-in-the-gas-drillling-industry/feed/ 0 Gas Field Workers – High Risk of Injury? http://www.dlplaw.com/2009/12/21/gas-field-workers-high-risk-of-injury/ http://www.dlplaw.com/2009/12/21/gas-field-workers-high-risk-of-injury/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:24:13 +0000 Joe Price http://www.dlplaw.com/?p=790

Exploration for natural gas in Northeast Pennsylvania represents dangerous work for everyone involved.  Injuries and death can occur without notice.  Accidents can occur not only during drilling operations but also during truck transport, pumping, well servicing, well restoration, rig construction and rig dismantling.  These accidents include falls, explosions, exposure to gas and toxins, equipment collapse, blowouts, fires and other types of incidents.
If a person is injured or killed in a gas exploration related accident it is important that the injured party or family contact a highly skilled personal injury attorney immediately.  The attorneys at Dougherty, Leventhal and Price LLP are experienced in both personal injury and workers compensation cases involving serious traumatic injuries, brain damage, permanent spinal cord damage, extensive burns  and other damages. DLP attorneys handle cases in both State and Federal Courts and are ready to help you with your case.  The familiarity of the attorneys at DLP with the risks involved in gas exploration can work for you in pursing financial compensation for injuries or fatal accidents working in the high risk gas field business.

Contact DLPLAW.COM.

]]> http://www.dlplaw.com/2009/12/21/gas-field-workers-high-risk-of-injury/feed/ 0 Drilling Rig and Related Injury Lawsuits http://www.dlplaw.com/2009/12/14/drilling-rig-and-related-injury-lawsuits/ http://www.dlplaw.com/2009/12/14/drilling-rig-and-related-injury-lawsuits/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:01:31 +0000 Joe Price http://www.dlplaw.com/?p=745 Working on or around drill rigs, transporting materials and equipment to and from drill rigs and interacting with drill rig construction and operation can be very dangerous. Companies involved in the operation of the sites and drill rigs are responsible for injuries which occur to workers on site and to the public injured due to company negligence.

If you are a worker injured at a drill site, a worker injured in an off site drill related accident or a member of the public injured as a result of a drill company’s negligence, you may have a claim for money damages.

Drilling rig related accidents can include drill site fires, explosions,chemical exposure, truck accidents, heavy equipment accidents and other accidents which can result in injury or death.

As gas drilling increases in Northeast Pennsylvania the need for experienced personal injury/workers compensation lawyers such as those who work at Dougherty, Leventhal & Price LLP has become more important than ever. If you have been injured on a drilling rig, injured in a drill rig related car or truck accident, or if a family member was killed due to a drill rig accident the lawyers at DLP encourage you to contact our offices immediately to discuss your case. We make house calls anywhere in Pennsylvania.

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