Perhaps you are an Illinois worker in seemingly perfect health who suddenly begins experiencing serious shoulder and back injuries that are unquestionably related to on-the-job lifting activities. Your pain is persistent, ongoing and materially debilitating. In fact,...
Workers’ Compensation
Illinois summer heat and outdoor workers can be a dangerous mix
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....
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...
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...
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...
Are you suffering from work-related neck injury symptoms?
Anything from repetitive strain to sudden injuries can lead to serious neck pain, and neck pain can lead to chronic, debilitating problems. Understanding more about the types of neck injuries you can develop can help you better recognize the signs of trouble and...
Why do we have a workers’ compensation system in Illinois?
Workers’ compensation systems became more common in European countries and the U.S. during the Industrial Revolution, when businesses began using fossil fuels for energy to power large factories. In these dangerous conditions, many workers faced injury and illness in...
Does your employer increase your risk of on-the-job injuries?
On-the-job injuries affect workers in every sector, but some workers are at a higher risk of injury because of their employers. The same people on whom we depend for paychecks and job security are also responsible for our workplace safety. Should employers fail in...
