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Posted by Mike Florio on May 4, 2009, 12:00 p.m.
Less than two days after the Cowboys’ indoor practice facility collapsed under winds in the range of 70 miles per hour, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is on the scene, according to the Dallas Morning News.
OSHA investigates and eradicates workplace hazards, with the employer being the primary target of such efforts. The agency commonly arrives in the wake of an incident involving serious injury to an employee.
But while there might have been some minor safety issues that OSHA will find once they’re on the property and poking around for violations of the extensive and detailed regulations applicable to most American workplaces, it looks like the focal point in this case will be the company that built the steel structure that arguably shouldn’t have failed.
And it also appears that the Cowboys already are mobilizing in this regard as well. Per the DMN, it appears that the team already has retained Charles Timbie, a Pennsylvania structural engineer who investigated the collapse of a similar facility in 2003.
Since the Cowboys’ exposure to the injured employees most likely will be limited by the Texas workers’ compensation laws, which generally provide no-fault benefits in exchange for employer immunity from negligence lawsuits, the interests of the team and the injured workers look to be fully aligned regarding the question of whether the company that built the indoor practice facility screwed up either in the design or the construction of it. The injured employees likely will sue the company that built the structure for compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any permanent impairment; the Cowboys will sue for the cost of replacing the structure.
Also, the Cowboys and/or the Texas workers’ comp authorities likely will seek reimbursement from the builder for benefits paid to the injured workers.
Bottom line? Beyond the mess that needs to be cleaned up on the ground at Valley Ranch, a legal mess will likely linger for years to come.
Less than two days after the Cowboys’ indoor practice facility collapsed under winds in the range of 70 miles per hour, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is on the scene, according to the Dallas Morning News.
OSHA investigates and eradicates workplace hazards, with the employer being the primary target of such efforts. The agency commonly arrives in the wake of an incident involving serious injury to an employee.
But while there might have been some minor safety issues that OSHA will find once they’re on the property and poking around for violations of the extensive and detailed regulations applicable to most American workplaces, it looks like the focal point in this case will be the company that built the steel structure that arguably shouldn’t have failed.
And it also appears that the Cowboys already are mobilizing in this regard as well. Per the DMN, it appears that the team already has retained Charles Timbie, a Pennsylvania structural engineer who investigated the collapse of a similar facility in 2003.
Since the Cowboys’ exposure to the injured employees most likely will be limited by the Texas workers’ compensation laws, which generally provide no-fault benefits in exchange for employer immunity from negligence lawsuits, the interests of the team and the injured workers look to be fully aligned regarding the question of whether the company that built the indoor practice facility screwed up either in the design or the construction of it. The injured employees likely will sue the company that built the structure for compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any permanent impairment; the Cowboys will sue for the cost of replacing the structure.
Also, the Cowboys and/or the Texas workers’ comp authorities likely will seek reimbursement from the builder for benefits paid to the injured workers.
Bottom line? Beyond the mess that needs to be cleaned up on the ground at Valley Ranch, a legal mess will likely linger for years to come.
