Articles Posted in Work Accidents

Work Accidents | October 6, 2015

For most people in Illinois, work brings on a lot of stress. Studies have shown that this problem has only been trending upward over the years. Workers don’t feel like they have control over what goes on in the workplace, but they do feel like there are a ton of demands, and they’re stressed out as a result.

Stress hits everyone differently. It can cause people to feel sick and tired. It can bring about a heart attack. It can cause hypertension or make it worse for those who suffer from it. People often can’t sleep and never feel rested. So, when stress causes serious issues—like a heart attack—do they count as work-related injuries?

Work Accidents | August 13, 2015

The current labor market throughout the country is still rather tight due to the 2008 economic downturn. For many workers who are fortunate to still be employed, simply having a job right now is a blessing. Unfortunately, the unintended consequence of these conditions is that the tight job market compels many of these workers to perform dangerous tasks that they might not otherwise undertake under better labor market conditions.

You need to know that putting your employer on notice of an imminent danger in your workplace is a good first step to preserving any future claims if you should get hurt later at work. Generally, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration protects workers from retaliation in cases where they have asked an employer to remove a specific danger that a reasonable person would agree could cause an imminent danger to employee health if not corrected.

Work Accidents | July 9, 2015

Many people don’t realize it, but trenching and excavation is a key component of almost every type of construction. This is true whether pouring concrete foundations using a trench or excavating earth to allow maintenance on buried pipes. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, at least two workers perish each month in trench collapses.

Generally, a trench is defined as any man-made cut or cavity in the Earth’s surface, not wider than 15 feet at its deepest point. However, trenches can also be deeper than that depending on their requirements. Trenches that are 20 feet in depth or greater require a registered professional engineer to design protective shoring intended to protect workers.

Work Accidents | June 5, 2015

Many people wrongly believe that workers’ compensation benefits are only available to victims of on-the-job accidents. This is not true. In fact, Illinois has a specific law on the books to protect workers who acquire diseases that arise from their employment. The Illinois Occupational Disease Act sets forth a series of rules regarding workplace illnesses as well as laying the groundwork for what constitutes a valid claim.

For example, there are general requirements for your illness to be considered as having arisen from your employment. It must be apparent to a reasonable person that there exists a causal connection between your injury and the work you performed as part of your job. However, it’s not necessary for you to have foreseen that your work activities would have aggravated an existing condition to the point of disabling you.

Work Accidents | March 26, 2015

Illinois provides workers’ compensation protection for employees who are injured at work. Generally, this works on a “no-fault” insurance scheme. Without getting too technical, the current system bars injured workers from suing their employers and their insurers directly for their injuries. In exchange for that liability protection, the employee is not required to prove fault for a workplace accident in order to receive certain medical benefits and other compensation.

However, one of the requirements of obtaining workers’ compensation for a workplace accident is that the employee must have been engaging in normal workplace duties at the time the accident occurred. Companies with well-known policies against substance abuse can often argue against paying out claims to workers who were using drugs around the time of their accidents. Basically, an employer can argue that an injured worker who is shown to have drugs or alcohol in their system at the time of the accident was not performing normal workplace duties.

Work Accidents | February 17, 2015

If you have suffered a workplace accident is likely that you’re thinking about your future. The nature of any accident is that they are always unexpected. You may have never considered what might happen do you if you became unable to continue earning a living through your work.

The good news is that the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission oversees programs that are designed to assist injured workers throughout the state. Any employee who is injured during the course of his or her job can be entitled to certain benefits. For example, if your workers’ comp claim is approved, you will receive two-thirds of your lost wages as you are recovering from your injuries. That number is based on the average of your weekly wage rate prior to your injury.

Work Accidents | December 11, 2014

Most people are already generally aware of what the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act is about. Many people know that the IWCA ensures that Illinois workers who are hurt on the job or acquire diseases connected with their jobs can receive money and medical benefits.

However, fewer people know some of the more arcane provisions of this statute. The following are some examples of those:

Work Accidents | November 6, 2014

Under current Illinois law, then employee injured on the job has a duty to report that accident to the employer within 45 days. The law does not specify whether the notice be offered verbal or in writing; however, employees can retain copies of a written notice for subsequent documentary proof. Additionally, Illinois workers injured as a result of radiological exposure have up to 90 days to report a suspicion of having received an excess dose of radiation.

The rules for reporting occupational disease require employees to give notice to their employers just as soon as they are practically able to notify them of their illnesses. For example, a factory worker who suffers from hearing loss as a result of working around heavy machinery for many years may not actually become aware of their illness for some time. Alternatively, an auto mechanic made ill by exposure to hydraulic fluid may experience an adverse reaction within hours of the exposure.

Work Accidents | June 28, 2013

Every summer, many young workers enter the workforce for the first time in their lives. While a person’s first job can be exciting, or at least eye-opening, it can also be a source of danger. Young workers suffer from highly elevated rates of workplace accidents. The workplace injury rate for workers under 25 years of age is double that of older workers. They are the most likely to be injured and the most likely to die in fatal on-the-job accidents. Knowledge that many older workers may take for granted needs to be imparted to new workers to help them stay safe. The numbers make it clear that we are not doing enough to protect new workers when are first learning what it means to be employed.

According to the Department of Labor, another teen worker is injured every 9 minutes. The severity of these injuries varies greatly, but each represents a failure on the part of both the worker and the employer in taking proper precautions. In 2011, there were more than 100,000 such failures, including 331 incidents in which a young worker suffered a fatal injury.

Work Accidents | October 29, 2012

Each year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases a report concerning occupational injuries and illnesses. The report calculated how many injuries and illnesses are suffered per every 100 full time workers in various fields. The top finishers make up the most dangerous places to work, in terms of the likelihood of being hurt or getting sick while doing the job. Three of the top four and four of the top six most dangerous professions involve the medical field. The job that suffered the highest rate of injury and illness per 100 full time workers was nursing and residential care in a state government run facility.

The report identifies how many people miss work due to injury or illness, as well as how many days they are away from work, restricted in their work, or transferred from their job. State government run nursing and residential care facility workers suffered 13.1 cases of injury or illness per 100 workers, with each instance averaging 7.4 days missed. The second riskiest job was local justice, public order and safety work, including work as a police officer or firefighter. These workers saw 10.3 cases of injury or illness per 100 and missed 5.6 days of work on average. Third and fourth place went to nursing and residential care in local government facilities and local government hospital work, respectively. Altogether, it shows that working in a medical facility operated by any level of government is a good way to suffer high rates of injury and illness.