An Illinois appeals court ruled Friday that a municipal worker was entitled to workers compensation benefits after a work-related fall, finding the award proper because the man was a “traveling employee” at the time of the July 2018 incident. The Appellate Court of Illinois dismissed an appeal by the Town of Cicero, which fought a claim by blight inspector Michael…
Musculoskeletal conditions associated with aging and identified during examinations of injured workers are increasingly common, adding to the complexity of claims, experts say. These so-called degenerative conditions seen in comp claims can “become complicated because typically you have no baseline,” said Max Koonce, Memphis, Tennessee-based chief claims officer for third-party administrator Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. “You don’t know where…
An employee at a Wally’s Foods convenience store in Minneapolis was stabbed while trying to stop a shoplifter. Following an argument, a man was accused of shooting his coworker in the torso at packaging supply company Pak Source in Rock Island, Illinois. The husband of a manager-in-training at a McDonald’s restaurant in High Point, North Carolina, angry over how employees…
The construction sector topped the list for workplace injuries in 2023, reporting three times the number of workers compensation claims out of all industries, according to a workplace safety trends report released Monday by Texas Mutual Insurance Co. Thirty-nine percent of serious injury claims were filed by construction workers compared with 11% in mining, 11% in administrative, support, waste management…
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday it cited a manufacturer after discovering numerous machine safety violations at its Itasca, Illinois, plant that expose workers to amputation hazards. OSHA cited Walker Midwest LLC, a division of Ontario, Canada-based Walker Stamping, for one willful violation and 13 serious violations following a July inspection that took place after the agency…
Indiana lawmakers are again considering a bill to assist first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. H.B. 1118, slated to be read Monday, would establish a state-funded first responders mental health wellness fund and program. The fund would provide up to 10 days of compensation and mental health services for first responders diagnosed with PTSD who do not qualify for…
Indiana lawmakers have introduced legislation that would permit injured workers to choose their attending physicians in workers compensation claims. House Bill 1246, filed Tuesday, would allow employers to choose a physician for an injured worker if the injury renders the employee unable to make a decision or in cases where immediate medical attention is required. If the measure is approved,…
Employees who feel unsafe on the job are more likely to report symptoms of work-related depression and anxiety, and those who study worker mental health have discovered a relationship between anxiety and increased work injury rates, industry experts say. “There is more and more data coming out showing just how inextricably intertwined mental health and physical health are in the…
A man claims he was terminated from his employment after seeking workers compensation benefits following a wrist injury. Plaintiff Kevin B. Cook Jr. filed the lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against Terminal Transport Inc., Transport Leasing/Contract, Inc., Payroll Plus Corporation, The Labor Source Inc. and the TLC Companies. According to the complaint, Cook experienced a pop in his…
There were 5,486 fatal work injuries reported in 2022, a 5.7% increase from the prior year’s 5,190, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday, attributing the increase in part to rising workplace violence. The transportation and material moving sector reported the most fatal work injuries in 2022, at 1,620, the BLS said. The construction and extraction sector reported the…
