Illinoisans are no strangers to extreme weather, enduring risky outdoor conditions in the depths of winter and in the heat and humidity of summer. And it's not getting any better because of the impact of climate change, which is already apparent. According to the U.S....
Rockford Illinois Workers’ Compensation Law Blog
Preventing falls on Illinois construction sites
According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), falls are the top cause of construction worker deaths. Nationally, 400 construction employees died from falls at work plus many others sustained severe injuries. The DOL suggests that if an employee must perform work...
Illinois Supreme Court hands big win to workers
The Supreme Court of Illinois recently ruled on a case that will impact the future of workers’ compensation cases. The case involved the question of whether or not a worker can receive coverage from common, everyday types of injuries that result from actions like...
COVID-19 in Illinois workplaces
As the number of vaccinated people continues to rise, more employers anticipate reopening and bringing employees back into the workplace. Unfortunately, we have all learned how contagious the coronavirus is and know that absolute protection is impossible. But...
New data: Illinoisans lost to work-related fatal injuries in 2019
On March 17, 2021, a press release revealed new federal statistics about 2019 employee deaths in Illinois workplaces. The data included not only people earning wages or salaries, but also those who were self employed. We wrote in this space previously about last...
Preventing employee accidents involving ladders at Illinois worksites
Summer is finally on its way and with it, the construction industry ramps up its activity throughout Illinois. In the rush to complete projects before the snow falls again, it can be easy to cut corners when it comes to safety requirements. But when it comes to the...
Car-light maker fined for explosion that burned Illinois worker
On April 20, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a news release announcing violations of federal work safety requirements at a central Illinois manufacturing plant. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), part of the DOL, proposed almost...
Workers at risk of needlesticks during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign
As of this writing on April 17, the Chicago Tribune reports that officials say almost 8 million vaccine doses have been administered and almost 3.3 million people in Illinois are now fully vaccinated – that is about one-quarter of our population. In Winnebago County,...
Illinois grain workers are at risk of serious injury
The scope of agricultural production in our state is truly breathtaking. As far as grain crops, our soybean and corn harvests are massive along with respectable production of wheat, oats, buckwheat, sorghum and others. Of course, this level of production employs many...
SSDI and SSI: What are the sources of governing law?
At our law firm, we advocate for Illinoisans with disabilities that prevent them from working in their claims for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). It is well known that the administrative process can take a long time...
