The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has withdrawn a fine and citation it had levied against Walt Disney World after an employee was injured in June at its Yacht and Beach Club Resort in Orlando.
Originally, OSHA fined Walt Disney World (Central Florida’s largest employer) almost $10,000 after the employee’s finger was reportedly amputated in an accident. The fine and citation were imposed because the resort didn’t report the accident to the federal agency for over two weeks. It wasn’t made public exactly what kind of accident it was.
However, according to OSHA, a physician later determined that the employee “suffered an avulsion” rather than an amputation. Employers aren’t required to report avulsions — which are defined as a “tearing away of a body part” — to OSHA.
This incident was not the first worker injury on or near a Florida Disney property recently. In fact, two workers died from their injuries this summer. Earlier this month a man who worked for Harvest Power died after he fell into a vat of grease and oil at a plan that recycles food waste from Walt Disney World. In July, a 33-year-old Kissimmee man who worked for Disney was killed at the Caribbean Beach Resort. He was working on the battery of a utility cart when it jumped a curb.
Workers who suffer injuries and surviving loved ones of those who have been killed may be overwhelmed by the thought of going up against a massive company to seek justice and compensation. However, workers and their families have every right to ask for workers’ compensation and other payments that they are owed if their employer bears some responsibility for the injury. That’s why it’s always worthwhile to explore your legal options.
