A report published earlier this year by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hinted at how workplace illnesses and injuries are predictable, and thus, also preventable. The federal agency cited various reporting requirements that both employers and workers can consult to find out more about the workplace in their industries, jobs and roles. This can be helpful when trying to justify how predictable injuries are. What Injury Risk Factors Do You Face In Your Job? OSHA has a publication called a “300 log.” That list compiles the many different professions that exist and includes…Read More
Workers often require convalescent leave after an injury on the job. Workers’ compensation insurance can protect injured workers by giving them disability benefits. These benefits will cover some of the workers’ missed wages when they are at home recovering. Unfortunately, even with good medical care available at no employee cost through workers’ compensation, not everyone hurt on the job fully recovers. Some employees can’t go back to the same job they did before, which means that they won’t be able to earn as much money as they did previously. How does the workers’ compensation system…Read More
You know that there is always a chance that you could get injured at work. Even simple things, like changing a lightbulb or walking down the stairs, could lead to a serious accident. But what if your boss asks you to do something that really seems far too dangerous? You think it’s unwise to even try, as injury seems not just possible, but likely. Do you still have to do it? Or can you refuse? When Can You Turn Down A Job Your Boss Tells You To Do? The first thing you should do is tell your…Read More
This is the time of year when teens across California start looking for summer jobs if they don’t already have one lined up. Many businesses of all kinds rely on teen employees and find many advantages to hiring them. Most teens are part-time workers, so businesses can save money by not having to provide the same benefits full-time employees are owed. They can fill the void left by salaried employees taking vacation time. They’re energetic, they typically learn fast and they’re willing to do just about any task – no matter menial. Teen Workers Need…Read More
Repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) develop slowly, over time. Quite often, they’re work-related injuries that are directly tied to the motions a worker has to make over and over again to do their job. Once an RSI develops, it can be quite debilitating. That’s why it is so important to seek medical care for a suspected RSI as soon as you develop any kind of symptoms. What Causes Repetitive Stress Injuries? There are dozens of activities that could lead to repetitive stress injuries, such as: Lifting objects into place Moving your hands and arms above your…Read More
Scenario: You suffered an on-the-job back injury that required medical treatment and time away from work. You took all the proper steps and followed the California workers’ compensation regulations. Soon, your condition improved, and your claim was resolved. Unfortunately, a year later, your back injury resurfaces, and now you are suffering from pain and reduced mobility. What can you do? Reopen your claim? Open up a new case? Live with your work injury without seeking additional workers’ compensation benefits? Reopening A Claim May Be Possible When job injuries and disabilities resurface or worsen, you may…Read More
There is a popular saying that accidents happen. The idea is that people sometimes wind up in circumstances over which they have no control and for which they have no personal responsibility. While that may be true, many times the events that people refer to as accidents are clearly the fault of one person. Someone texting at the wheel and not watching the road around them could T-Bone another driver because they don’t notice the changing traffic signals. A chef working in a high-pressure kitchen environment could suffer a severe cut that they cause by…Read More
As you know, workers’ compensation helps employees obtain medical care and replace their lost wages when workplace injuries occur. Some injuries are relatively easy to prove because they are the result of specific events. For example, it is easy to show how falling and breaking your arm occurred while performing your work duties. Continuous or cumulative trauma injuries are more elusive when it comes to proof. These injuries develop over time, making it hard for the worker and a doctor to prove the injury is work-related. Types Of Cumulative Workplace Injuries If you repeat the…Read More
You fall from a ladder at work and break your arm. You’re not even a doctor, and you know full well that it’s broken. You assume you can work with any doctor to come to that same conclusion, but you’ve heard that you may need to seek out a qualified medical examiner (QME). What sets this person apart from any other urgent care doctor or primary physician? Are There Questions About Your Injury? Per the California Department of Industrial Relations, the QME is someone who may give an evaluation “when there are questions about what…Read More
Look around yourself at work. How many of your co-workers seem to be bleary-eyed and half-asleep on the job? If you find some who fit that description, you’re far from alone. The Oregon Healthy Workforce Center hired Colorado State University (CSU) researchers to review incident reports and interview construction workers between two different work sites in 2019. The CSU graduate students’ research revealed how much of an impact sleep has on worker safety. What The Researchers Found About Fatigue And Workplace Safety CSU’s researchers reviewed injury records and comparing those to the construction workers’ self-reported sleep data.…Read More
