A coalition of worker unions analyzed injury reports from Amazon Inc. warehouses and found that injuries among workers increased by 20% in the pandemic. The Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of four labor unions, analyzed the injury data that Amazon submitted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and found that in 2021, the serious injury rate at Amazon warehouses…
The Tippecanoe School Corporation has secured summary judgment against a student’s negligence claim after the Court of Appeals ruled in its favor following a cheerleader’s injury. The parents of Isabella Reynolds sued their daughter’s school corporation, coach and others following an incident that left the teen with a broken jaw and shattered teeth. Roberta Patton, the William Henry Harrison High…
A building under construction collapsed, injuring at least two construction workers, authorities said. The building was under construction in the town of Whiteland, about 20 miles south of Indianapolis. Three construction workers were at the site of building working, Whiteland Fire Chief Eric Funkhouser told the Daily Journal. Some of the workers had to be pulled out of the collapsed…
When the pandemic hit two years ago a years-long strategy in the workers compensation industry was controlling opioid prescriptions — a goal that has continued despite interruptions stemming from COVID-19 claims and disruptions. Experts say opioids in new injured worker claims are continuing to trend downward, as state-mandated formularies, monitoring programs and other protocols appear to be working to curb…
More states are aiming to require workers compensation coverage for those enrolled in career apprenticeships and technical schools. Most recently, Indiana, Oklahoma and Wyoming sought to join states where this coverage is required; California, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee and Texas have passed legislation that calls on local education agencies to provide workers compensation coverage for students participating in work-based learning,…
Remote and hybrid work arrangements, which were put in place when pandemic lockdowns forced many workers to stay home, have left employers with lingering safety-related concerns even as COVID-19 fades. Many ergonomics concerns related to remote work were well-known before the pandemic, but with home offices commonplace those issues demand an extra level of attention, sources say. And employers should…
McDonald’s is facing a multi-state consumer class action lawsuit over its use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances in packaging because of alleged migration of those chemicals into food products. PFAS are considered “forever chemicals” because their carbon-fluorine bonds are extremely strong and not appreciably degraded under environmental conditions, according to the lawsuit filed March 28 at the Southern District…
A SCF Lewis and Clark Fleeting crew member claims he was injured while working on a marine vessel in Granite City. Ray W. Bowler II filed a lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against SCF Lewis and Clark Fleeting LLC, and Canton Marine Towing, Inc., alleging negligence, unseaworthiness and maintenance and cure. According to the lawsuit, Bowler was employed…
The average cost of COVID-19 related claims increased “significantly” in the last six months of 2021, according to a report released Wednesday by San Diego-based Mitchell International Inc. As of December, the average indemnity cost for a COVID-19 claim increased 40% when compared with Mitchell’s analysis of data in June 2021 to about $3,478 per claim, according to the report,…
A man claims he suffered severe injuries when a container lid slid off the chassis and caused him to fall out of the yard dog he was operating, knocking him unconscious. Richard Landert filed a lawsuit on Feb. 28 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Red Bird Carriers, Inc., Superior Hauling and Fast Transit, Inc. doing business as Red…
