A machine doesn’t give you a second chance. When a guard is missing, a safety switch fails or a machine starts up while you’re clearing a jam, the injury can be devastating. Philly Injury Lawyer helps factory workers and machine operators across Philadelphia rebuild their lives, through workers’ comp and claims against the companies that made dangerous machines.
Philadelphia Still Makes Things
From food processing and packaging plants to metalworking, printing and chemical facilities, Philadelphia’s manufacturers employ thousands of machine operators, assemblers and maintenance workers.
Common Machine Injuries
- Amputations of fingers, hands and arms
- Crush injuries in presses, rollers and conveyors
- Caught-in accidents with unguarded moving parts
- Burns from hot equipment, steam and chemicals
- Eye injuries from flying debris
- Hearing loss from constant noise
- Repetitive strain from assembly-line work
Workers’ Comp and Specific Loss Benefits
Workers’ comp pays for your treatment and part of your lost wages. If you lose a body part, or permanently lose its use, you may also be owed specific loss benefits, a set number of weeks of pay for that loss. Serious scarring on the head, neck or face can bring disfigurement benefits too. See the benefits chart.
Product Liability Claims
Many machine injuries happen because the machine was designed without proper guards, safety interlocks or warnings. When that’s the case, you may have a claim against the manufacturer, separate from workers’ comp. These claims can pay for pain and suffering and your full losses. See Philadelphia Defective Product Lawyers.
Preserve the Machine
Ask that the machine not be altered, repaired or scrapped. Photos, the manufacturer’s name and the model number can make or break a product claim.
Hurt by a Machine? Call Us Today
Call (215) 735-4800 for a free consultation. We Win or It’s Free®.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are specific loss benefits for an amputation?
They’re a set number of weeks of pay based on the body part lost, paid in addition to your regular wage benefits during healing. The benefits chart lists the main amounts.
Can I sue my employer for removing a machine guard?
Generally no, even if the employer was careless. But you may have a claim against the machine’s maker or another company.
What if the machine is old?
Older machines can still be the basis of a product claim. Time limits apply, so talk to us quickly.
Pennsylvania Law in Plain English
Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation Act sets specific loss benefits for losing a body part or its use. OSHA’s machine guarding rules describe the protections machines and employers are expected to have in place.
