New Initiative Could Impact Workers’ Compensation

A new year is a time for new beginnings. It’s a time to look at what is working and what is not and to perhaps make changes to help things work better. The agencies that collaborate to protect New Jersey workers are looking at what they can do to make workers’ lives better and safer and to possibly reduce the number of accidents and workers’ compensation claims.

There are three agencies who collaborate in this endeavor. They are the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL), the New Jersey State Industrial Safety Committee (NJSISC) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The agencies are working together and introducing a program called ‘Safe and Sound’ with the intent of increasing worker safety through increased awareness and training. One of the goals is to enable workers and management to recognize and eliminate hazards before an accident happens. The agencies will share data with each other to help measure the success of the initiative.

It should be the goal of everyone to be safe in the workplace, and increased awareness and training can go a long way to helping achieve that outcome in New Jersey. Regardless of how well informed and trained people are, accidents will continue to happen. No one wants to think of a tragic accident befalling oneself or a loved one, but if such an accident does happen, it is important to know one’s rights under workers’ compensation laws. These rights exist to protect the worker and the worker’s family. A lawyer experienced in workers’ comp cases can help a person to fully understand his or her rights.