A House of Representatives bill would direct the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to adopt a standard to prevent occupational exposure to excessive heat in both indoor and outdoor environments. However, some observers say it is unnecessary, given that OSHA can issue its own regulations. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., and Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., on Wednesday introduced the…
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has released a strategy for managing potentially harmful chemicals that would assign them into categories to help protect workers. A vast number of chemical substances in commerce do not have occupational exposure limits, meaning that workers may be exposed to these substances at potentially harmful levels, John Howard, director of NIOSH, said…
The number of workers who fall outside of workers compensation is likely to rise in the future, potentially impacting workers compensation, according to a report released Thursday by the National Council on Compensation Insurance. The Boca Raton, Florida-based NCCI released its quarterly economics briefing, which revealed that more people are relying on nontraditional work as a secondary source of income,…
Indiana’s attorney general says the state’s school districts are free to use extended stop arms to prevent other vehicles from passing school buses. Curtis Hill said in an official opinion that no federal or state laws prohibit the use of extended stop arms on school buses. Such opinions don’t have the force of law but are generally respected by courts….
A woman is suing Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, citing alleged negligence, after she allegedly was injured when she tripped and fell. Rosie Campbell filed a complaint on Jan. 16 in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging the defendant breached its duty to maintain premises in a reasonably safe condition. According to the complaint, in August 2018, Rosie Campbell tripped and…
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Hudapack Metal Treating of Illinois Inc. – based in Glendale Heights, Illinois – for 21 serious health and safety violations. The company faces penalties of $181,662. OSHA inspected the company in December 2018 after an employee was electrocuted while using a damaged portable lamp when cleaning the…
A man who was severely injured by a car crushing machine at work failed to show that the manufacturer of the machine was liable for his injuries. In Clark v. River Metals Recycling LLC, a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago on Tuesday unanimously affirmed a district court’s dismissal of his lawsuit, holding that…
A three-justice panel of the Illinois First District Appellate Court has revived a lawsuit brought by a man who claimed a restaurant should be held liable after he slipped and fell on the property. The case dates back to 2015, when former bus driver Michael Heider fell on a wet floor March 13 at JL’s Pizza and Sports bar in…
Workers compensation payments in all drug categories — including opioids — dropped in 25 of 27 states studied by the Workers Compensation Research Institute over the last three years, and dermatological agents are making up a larger percentage of the drug spend in many states. Researchers at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based WCRI evaluated workers compensation drug payments in the first quarters…
Chicago’s City Council approved a $3.7 million legal settlement to three people injured in a 2014 car crash. The bulk of the settlement is meant for Kelsey Ibach, who was paralyzed when an auto she was a passenger in landed on its roof after plunging down an embankment. The 30-year-old Ibach and two others sued the vehicle’s driver, the city,…
