When regulators of certain high-risk industries release safety alerts, workers in those industries tend to take notice. However, there are times when certain safety alerts demand the attention of an even broader audience. After all, the actions of workers in certain high-risk industries can affect those in other occupations and even bystanders, depending on the circumstances at hand. Take, for example, any industry that relies on trucking for operational sustainability. Trucking itself is a high-risk industry. But long-haul truckers aren’t the only ones who rely on trucking to keep their emplo ..read more

Many workplace accidents happen when workers are using ladders. It is certainly possible for a worker to be injured in a slip-and-fall accident on the same level. But accidents tend to get more serious when workers are any distance above the ground, whether that’s five feet on a step ladder or 30 feet on an extension ladder. So how can workers stay safe and avoid these accidents? Let’s take a look at a few common safety tips below. Focus on safety Now, even if workers make mistakes on the job, they can still seek workers’ comp benefits because they were hurt in the course of their employment ..read more

People have an assortment of different personal reasons why they dislike the idea of filing a worker’s compensation claim. Many people view themselves as self-made individuals who do not rely on others for handouts. They do not want to damage their reputation as a diligent worker or anger their co-workers. However, Illinois workers’ compensation is not a handout. It is a crucial form of insurance that employers provide for their workers to mitigate the risk inherent in working a job. Other people may worry about filing a claim against an employer’s insurance coverage, as they may view that mov ..read more

Maybe it was just a moment of distraction at the wrong time – or maybe you were just overly fatigued after a long day. Either way, you made a mistake and you got hurt on the job. Workers’ compensation is designed to provide relief in such situations, but does the fact that you were partly or wholly at fault for your own injuries make any difference? Negligence versus intentional misconduct Workers’ compensation is called a “no-fault” system. For the most part, it simply doesn’t matter if the employer was negligent or the employee was negligent – or if it was a combination of the two. Neither s ..read more

It can be exciting to start a new job – especially if you think you like what you’ll be doing.  Unfortunately, accidents can and do happen on the very first day or week – and it’s probably a much more common scenario than most people realize. Why new hires are uniquely vulnerable to on-the-job accidents and injuries An injury right when you’re starting at a new workplace can be disheartening and distressing – particularly if you don’t understand your rights. Bear in mind that you’re entitled to workers’ compensation benefits even if it’s your very first day on the job, and it does not mat ..read more

People who work in retail have a lot to deal with daily. While many people focus on customer interactions, that’s only a small part of what goes on with these workers. There are many risks that these hardworking individuals face with every shift. Understanding some of the basic hazards of retail work may help these workers to remain safer on the job. With that said, ultimately, the onus is on employers to ensure employees have a safe work environment in which to operate. Slip and trips It’s not always easy to keep the floors clear in a retail environment. Sweeping and getting spills up isn’t a ..read more

Depression, bi-polar disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health disorders aren’t something that show up in someone’s lab tests or x-rays – but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t very real, very disabling conditions. People can and do obtain Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits due to mental health issues. In fact, in 2020, government records indicate that 29% of the people receiving SSDI had some form of mental health issue. However, that doesn’t mean that gaining approval for a disability related to your mental health is necessarily easy. Here ar ..read more

The temperatures are soaring all around the United States, and that’s putting a lot of workers in different industries at serious risk of heat-related illnesses. Heatstroke, for example, is the most dangerous hyperthermic illness you can get. This occurs when your body temperature rises above 104 degrees, and it can leave you suffering from permanent damage to your kidneys, liver, heart, nerves, brain and entire metabolic system. If you got severely overheated while doing your job and ended up with either heat exhaustion (a precursor to heatstroke) or heatstroke, you may be in for a lengthy re ..read more

Although people often recognize that falls are safety hazard, they tend to be too dismissive when evaluating employment circumstances for this common safety concern. Specifically, people tend to assume that the falls that lead to worker injuries involve a significant elevation. Most people recognize that construction workers, window washers and electrical company employees are at risk of a fall that leaves them hurt. Fewer people understand the risk that comes from going about a basic job, like custodial or retail work, and falling to the same level. The reality is that anyone who falls, even ..read more

OSHA has proposed fining Hostess Brands $298,010 for failing to prevent a worker from losing his fingertip. The company’s safety training was inadequate and the company didn’t use lockout/tagout procedures to ensure a pump wouldn’t startup while the worker was maintaining it. In December 2022, the 29-year-old worker was reassembling a pump at Hostess’s Chicago facility when the machine unexpectedly started up, severing the worker’s fingertip. An OSHA inspection after the accident found that the company had not followed proper machine shut-down procedures. Furthermore, it had failed to train wo ..read more