Bear with us for a second, but each time we hear from employees assigned to work at the Deepwater Horizon rig, or who played a role in ensuring the safety systems worked, we can't help but think of the workers' compensation claim cases we've had.

For example, the lead electronics technician said that the alarm systems in the rig were turned on low volume to keep workers from having to deal with sirens and klaxons at all hours of the night. In addition, the man noted to a government panel that the procedure for removing built-up gas was bypassed.

But it wasn't necessarily done out of malice, but rather what is being painted as years of standard practice by BP and other firms in minimizing hassles of false alarms. And the fact that employees and their supervisors are coming out on separate sides of the debate is what we mean when we say it sounds like some of our workers' comp cases.

That's because while employees in New York have access to benefits, they must do so in a system that now rewards an adversarial atmosphere with boss and employee arguing that each other committed fraud or some other malfeasance. It just doesn't add up.

But what does, in an era of increased scrutiny after the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the response by BP, is to continue to report unsafe conditions and make sure that you can work in a safe environment. If you've been injured and want assistance with preparing a workers' compensation claim, contact us at Markhoff & Mittman, P.C. for a consultation today.