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,…
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…
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…
A state appeals panel has revived a lawsuit brought by a woman who alleges she slipped and fell at a Lakeview gas station on an icy patch atop a handicap symbol emblazoned on pavement, which she said was designed in such a way that it would become unnaturally slippery and dangerous. Although the case was tossed out in Cook County…
Everyone has opinions on what workers comp is. Some are correct, but most are misconceptions. The commercials seen on TV about people collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars are not true for the average claim. When looking at the bottom of the screen it indicates that the people on the commercial are actors, not even the real claimants. Most of…
Chicago’s mayor plans to impose “sweeping” reforms to the city’s workers compensation program by partnering with insurer Gallagher Bassett Services Inc. Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday announced the city has contracted with Rolling Meadows, Illinois-based Gallagher Bassett to implement changes to the workers comp system that aim to improve services for injured workers and reduce fraud, waste and abuse in…
A Chicago State University instructor said a claims examiner rejected his workers’ comp claim for injuries he suffered when a man attacked him during an accounting class. Richard Arredondo, 62, said he suffered back, neck and emotional injuries from the attack on April 25. A man entered the classroom and began staring at female students, WBBM Newsradio reported. The intruder…
In another move to reform how the city conducts its business, Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Chicago will transfer day-to-day control of its $100 million-per-year city workers’ compensation program to a private company. IN another move to reform how the city conducts its business, Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Chicago will transfer day-to-day control of its $100 million-per-year workers’ compensation program to…
