Nearly three dozen people have sued the operator of a suburban Chicago medical equipment cleaning plant they claim emits fumes that have adversely affected their health, lawyers for the plaintiffs announced. The 32 lawsuits filed against Sterigenics LLC this week in Cook County seek damages from the company, which operates a plant in Willowbrook. Jeanne Hochhalter is one of those…
An Illinois construction company that waited six years to inform its excess insurer that it had been sued cannot expect coverage from that carrier, and it can’t go after the insurance brokerage that sold it the policy either, a federal appellate court ruled. “Waiting five to seven years before telling an insurance company that its policy may be implicated in…
Illinois alleges that a company that provides water to a Chicago suburb made changes without permission from state regulators that caused lead to contaminate the village’s drinking water. Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit against Aqua Illinois, the company that supplies water to residents of University Park, a village about 40 miles south of Chicago. The lawsuit says Aqua…
An East St. Louis man alleges he was fired by a local trucking company after being injured on the job in 2018 and receiving workers’ compensation benefits. Roderick Jones filed suit July 31 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Zade Trucking, alleging violations of the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act. “There is a causal connection between [Jones]’ exercise of his…
A new report found it is becoming less common for workers to be prescribed painkillers after an on-the-job injury in Illinois. The Workers Compensation Research Institute monitors how often workers injured on the job are given prescription opioids in 27 select states. The organization’s new report found the percentage of Illinois workers who received a prescription paid for under workers…
A roofing contractor faces a fine of $220,249 for exposing workers to fall hazards at a commercial building site in a Chicago suburb, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced. Five Star Roofing Systems Inc., based in Hartford City, Indiana, was cited for willful, repeated and serious safety violations that include failing to provide fall protection, improper use of warning…
Fatalities among independent workers accounted for about 12% of all workplace deaths in 2016-2017, and independent workers have a disproportionately higher share of fatalities due to falls, slips and trips, according to report released from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday. injuries among independent workers dropped slightly between 2016 and 2017, reported the BLS, with 662 total fatal…
Postmates Inc. will offer occupational accident insurance benefits this fall to fleet members, the company announced Tuesday. The San Francisco-based company, which uses gig economy workers to deliver food, groceries, alcohol and more to individuals via an app, has about 350,000 independently contracted drivers. Drivers will be able to access a company portal for insurance information, and as of Oct….
Bosses who exhibit bullying behaviors can adversely impact the safety of their workplaces because bullied employees and their colleagues are less likely to engage in safe work practices, experts say. Failing to address bullying behaviors can affect a company’s bottom line through absenteeism, lower productivity and increased workers compensation costs, experts say. In early August, researchers from Portland State University…
An official says an explosion at a chemical tank cleaning business in northwestern Indiana injured three workers. The blast happened about 7:20 a.m. Wednesday at T.A.C. East Inc. in an industrial area of East Chicago. City Fire Chief Anthony Serna tells The (Northwest Indiana) Times that three employees suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns to their arms and legs and…
