The novel coronavirus ushered in shelter-in-place orders across the country and uncertainty about when life will return to what it was. As more states shift to gradually reopening their economies, the path toward normalcy also breeds new anxiety and questions about safe returns to work and businesses. Contracting coronavirus at work or from a business or restaurant isn’t easily resolved…
As businesses welcome workers back into the workplace, employers must tread a narrow path between gathering information to protect their workers’ health and protecting their privacy, experts say. Businesses must comply with federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as state and even local laws that may be broader, they say. The Illinois Biometrics Information Privacy Act…
Illinois lawmakers in both houses on Friday passed an omnibus labor bill that would provide death benefits for first responders who were presumably infected with COVID-19 on duty and workers compensation benefits for essential workers under certain conditions. H.B. 2455 also revises state code to expand unemployment benefits and enhance sick pay and leave for workers who contract the virus….
States with no workers compensation fee schedule pay higher prices for professional services, though prices vary significantly across the U.S., according to researchers from the Workers Compensation Research Institute’s medical price index study released Tuesday. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based institute evaluated prices paid in workers compensation for professional services billed by physicians, physical therapists and chiropractors in 36 study states between…
Five McDonald’s workers in Chicago filed a class-action lawsuit against the fast-food chain on Tuesday, accusing it of failing to adopt government safety guidance on COVID-19 and endangering employees and their families. McDonald’s failed to provide adequate hand sanitizer, gloves and masks and has not notified its staff when an employee has become infected with the new coronavirus, according to…
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued revised enforcement guidance to help employers evaluate whether a workplace case of COVID-19 is recordable. While the guidance, released Tuesday for OSHA regional administrators and OSHA-approved State Plans, does not remove an employer’s requirement to evaluate any positive cases of coronavirus reported by employees for work-relatedness, it does provide examples to help…
A homeowner is claiming she was injured after a contractor allegedly improperly constructed exterior steps at her residence in East Alton. Lynda Hadley filed suit May 8 in Madison County Circuit Court against Gregory Kuehnel and Hard to Beat Handyman, alleging breach of contract, breach of warranty, and negligence. According to the complaint, Hadley claims she was residing at a…
A mother is suing on behalf of her son after he was allegedly injured when an intoxicated motorist allegedly caused a crash while talking on a cell phone. Shamarla Clanton filed suit on behalf of her son, Antonio, on May 1 in Madison County Circuit Court. Clanton is suing the driver, David Curtis, and a bar, Roper’s Reagle Beagle Bar…
Indiana’s safety agency prematurely released Amazon from citations and fines in the death of a warehouse employee who was crushed by a forklift, a federal investigation has found. Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration absolved the online retailer of any accountability in the death of 59-year-old Phillip Lee Terry coincidentally at the same time the state was bidding for Amazon’s…
Outpatient hospital payments are higher and growing at a faster rate in states without fee schedules, according to a study released Tuesday from the Workers Compensation Research Institute. Researchers at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based WCRI compared hospital payments from a group of common workers comp outpatient surgeries in 36 states from 2005 to 2018, finding that states that paid a percentage…
