Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Lawyers Blog
As workers’ comp attorneys, we try to stay on top of the latest news regarding workers’ comp cases not only in our own state of Pennsylvania, but throughout the world. That’s why we took notice to an article posted on CNN.com that reported that a health study on the working conditions at Samsung’s Electronics’ semiconductor factories in South Korea posted no health risks to workers.
The study was conducted by a U.S.-based firm, but was commissioned by Samsung. It found no link to the diagnosis of leukemia of several ex-plant workers. However, they would not release data backing the conclusion, due to sensitivity over trade secrets.
A number of Samsung plant workers and their families have been fighting for work injury compensation since 2009, accusing Samsung of using substances for manufacturing semiconductor parts that has led to leukemia and rare forms of cancer.
Kong Jeong-ok, a researcher at the Korea Institute of Labor Safety and Health and a supporter of the former Samsung workers’ group, is quoted in the article as saying, “They [Samsung] have not address any of the controversial issues and continues to lay out abstract answers. It seems like it was all a huge show.”
So far, only 2 ex-employers who died of leukemia after working at the same production line have been successful in winning a suit filed against the country’s workers’ compensation agency in June. Korea’s Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service filed an appeal after Samsung announced the results of its study.
We may be thousands of miles apart, but this article shows that Korea’s working class fights the same battles as our own workers here in the U.S.– the right to receive compensation when you are injured on the job. O’Connor Law knows the struggle and history of coal miners who just wanted to be treated decently by their employers as they risked their lives making an honest dollar to support their families. If you have been injured on the job, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact us for a free review of your case.