According to a recent article in Psychology Today, it takes a lot to effectively care for a first responder suffering from traumatic stress or PTSD. Specifically, it takes “a multidisciplinary team of peers, chaplains and culturally competent clinicians.” If you are a...
Workers’ Compensation
Grain bin operator allows worker to fall into equipment and be injured
When you work around machines, you always have to be careful. Most important, perhaps, is taking the proper precautions to prevent foreseeable injuries. Employers are supposed to identify hazards and take reasonable steps to mitigate those hazards. This is especially...
OSHA: Amazon warehouses expose workers to serious ergonomic hazards
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited three Amazon warehouses for failing to provide a safe workplace. One of them is in Waukegan. The citations were specifically about ergonomic hazards, or those involving work processes. The agency says...
Tragedy at the Mapleton Caterpillar foundry brings $145,027 fine
Foundries are among the most dangerous places anyone could work. The Mapleton, Illinois, foundry for Caterpillar of Irving, Texas, makes cast-iron engine components. Among the potentially deadly machines at the foundry were 11-foot-deep pots of molten iron that had...
5 issues affecting the workers’ comp legal landscape this year
For the tenth year in a row, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has issued a report about recent bills, laws and regulations that could impact the workers’ compensation system. It’s a national report, and these issues are cropping up across the...
OSHA cites Chicago candy factory for repeat lockout/tagout violations
Machine safety is critical to our workforce. Virtually every job involves a machine of some sort, and many of them pose serious safety risks unless handled carefully. One of the most basic safety protocols around machines is to power them down completely before...
A new top hazard for delivery drivers and warehouse workers: heat
Earlier this summer, this blog discussed a growing hazard for workers in Illinois and around the country. That hazard is heat, and it’s bound to get worse. This was the third hottest summer in U.S. history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...
Illinois workplace shootings and other occupational violence, part 2
Today we revisit our discussion of occupational violence. Tragically this topic is top of mind during this time of concentrated frequency of gun violence in our country. As we explained in part 1, Illinois workers’ compensation normally provides benefits to a victim...
Workers’ compensation normally covers employee harm from shooting, part 1
Illinoisans and others across the country are reeling from the current intensity and frequency of mass shootings. Many occur in a variety of workplaces, resulting in employee injury and death. A shooting injury may occur when a worker is clocked in and carrying out...
Illinois workers’ compensation covers heat-related work injuries
Its hard to deny that climate change really does seem to be making its mark this summer of 2022. Repeated heat waves are rolling across the Midwest, creating the conditions for a variety of related injuries or illnesses. And when an employee suffers injury or sickness...
