News

Two bills that would affect workers compensation presumptions for firefighters and emergency medical professionals are being considered in Illinois. H.B. 1292, introduced Monday, would create a rebuttable presumption that post-traumatic stress disorder arose out of the work conducted by firefighters, all levels of emergency medical technicians, and paramedics. The change would amend state workers comp law that already provides such…

Workplace heat-related illnesses increase by at least sevenfold on days when temperatures exceed 90°F compared with days with temperatures between 75°F and 80°F, according to research published Wednesday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The Waltham, Massachusetts-based WCRI used 2013 to 2022 workers compensation claim data from insurers, state funds and self-insured employers across 31 U.S. states, accounting for 80%…

There were 5,283 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2023, a 3.7% decrease from the previous year, with deaths among Black workers declining the most at 10.2%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday. Transportation incidents were the most frequent cause of death, accounting for 36.8% of all occupational fatalities in 2023. As in years past,…