While consumer prices for energy, food and housing between 2021 and 2022 saw drastic increases, there’s little evidence such inflationary pressures affected workers compensation medical costs, according to a report released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The study identified the main drivers of the workers comp medical cost growth, finding that a major contributor to price increases in…
An Indiana appellate court ruled the state’s Worker’s Compensation Board erred in upholding a determination that an injured worker’s petition for additional workers comp benefits was untimely filed. The Indiana Court of Appeals on Monday reversed a board ruling dismissing a claim adjustment application by Angela Santos, who injured her back in December 2019 while working for Franciscan Health, affiliated…
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited an Illinois grain bin operator after an employee became trapped in a grain elevator for five hours in February. OSHA on Wednesday said it cited Martinsville-based Littlejohn Grain Inc. for violating federal grain-handling safety standards by allowing workers to enter grain bins without appropriate protective equipment such as a safety harness…
A former employee of Hatch & Kirk in Alton claims he was fired in retaliation for seeking worker’s compensation benefits after suffering injuries on the job. Plaintiff William Burton filed the lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against Hatch & Kirk, Inc., citing retaliatory discharge. According to the lawsuit, Burton was formerly employed by Hatch & Kirk as a…
The operator of a specialty frozen pizza manufacturing plant in Illinois could have prevented the death of a 29-year-old sanitation worker by following proper machine safety procedures, a federal investigation has found. Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration learned the sanitation worker suffered fatal injuries while working on the overnight shift under the supervision…
A 29-year-old worker suffered the amputation of a fingertip while reassembling a pump at a Hostess Brands LLC facility in Chicago, an injury the employer could have prevented by ensuring to shut down and lockout the equipment to prevent it from unexpectedly starting during maintenance, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found. Inspectors with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health…
As information about long COVID evolves, workers compensation experts are watching how clinical changes and statistics may impact compensability for workers who continue to struggle with the disease’s effects. Last week, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California released data showing that in 2020 and 2021, comp claims involving treatment for long COVID symptoms were four times more likely…
An Illinois specialty frozen pizza manufacturer has been issued $2.8 million in proposed fines by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration after a worker died while cleaning company machinery. OSHA on Thursday announced it cited Gurnee-based Miracapo Pizza Co. for 16 willful egregious violations, one willful violation and 12 serious violations after a temporary worker died during a December…
An Illinois roofing contractor who still owes $31,163 in outstanding workplace safety penalties has again been cited and hit with additional fines after the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration says its inspectors found the company continues to expose workers to fall hazards. OSHA announced Tuesday that it cited Fairmont City-based JZ Exteriors and Repairs LLC for five repeat violations,…
The total number of compensable work injuries in the U.S. food manufacturing sector decreased post-pandemic, with a 13% decline in workers compensation claims from pre-COVID-19 levels, according to a report released Wednesday by AmTrust Financial Services Inc. The specialty insurer examined 15,000 comp claims in food manufacturing between 2018 and 2022, finding that general workplace injuries were down in 2020,…
