Carney Shegerian Addresses Safety in the Workplace

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Carney R. Shegerian, an employee rights attorney and founder of Shegerian & Associates, a Santa Monica-based litigation law firm representing employees, has issued the following statement on workplace safety.

“It is now the responsibility of the company to pay the victims’ families for the emotional and economic losses they suffer.”

On February 8, 2010 the Los Angeles Times reported five workers killed and many more injured when clearing a natural gas piping system in a Connecticut power plant. “Only three days ago, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board was considering what it called urgent recommendations to change national fuel gas codes to improve safety as gas pipes are being purged during maintenance or installation of new piping” reported the Los Angeles Times.

“It is devastating to think that these employees’ deaths and injuries could have been avoided had the proper measures been taken. Once again, many laws exist that if followed – and policed by the government – would prevent such horrific incidents from occurring. Federal OSHA laws and state OSHA laws, like so many oversight laws, are barely – if ever – enforced. We should be ashamed that our government does not police big corporations and that as a result big corporations expose the American worker to such unsafe situations where lives are lost,” Shegerian states.

The board’s recommendations to improve safety came from an ongoing investigation of the 2009 explosion of the Slim Jim power plant in North Carolina. Shegerian states, “It is unbelievable to hear that more than a year has passed since the Slim Jim explosion, and recommendations to improve safety conditions are just being made by the board. Employees should know that they are legally protected to report unsafe conditions.” Shegerian states, “It is now the responsibility of the company to pay the victims’ families for the emotional and economic losses they suffer.”

An experienced trial attorney, Shegerian has tried numerous jury trials to verdict in both state and federal court, always representing individuals that have suffered financial or emotional losses and have been wronged by employers, including major corporations. Shegerian has built a remarkable career on helping those who have been wronged in the workplace. He remains undefeated in federal jury trials and has won 14 seven figure verdicts representing employees.

Located in the City of Santa Monica, Shegerian & Associates is a law firm specifically focused on protecting the rights of employees who have been wronged by their employers. Richly experienced in labor and employment law and possessing an unparalleled success record as litigators, Shegerian & Associates is passionately dedicated to serving the needs of its clients. For more information, visit www.ShegerianLaw.com.