When people talk about workers’ rights, they usually discuss civil rights, such as the right to a workplace free of harassment or discrimination. However, there are a different set of laws that give workers the right to a safe workplace. Worker safety is enshrined in...
Work-Related Injuries
Repetitive strain injuries are a risk in any industry
Whatever your job, there is a good chance that you perform specific actions repeatedly. That is why repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) are among the most common of all workplace injuries. They can happen to anyone in any job. How do you know if you have a repetitive...
Repetitive strain injuries need compensation
When you tell someone you are off work due to a repetitive strain injury (RSI), you might feel they look at you oddly, as if examining you for signs of proof. When you first talked about needing workers’ compensation and time off, they probably assumed you fell from a...
Work injury: Aging workers take longer to recover
Data released by the US Census Bureau indicates that almost 15% of the nation's workforce is older than 70 years. This is reported to result from people nationwide, including in Illinois, living healthier, longer lives combined with their financial needs. The...
Exposure to metal dust can cause serious injury
Workers in foundries and other metal processing plants in Illinois and across the country are at significant risk of developing long-term health problems. The risk is exacerbated because the damage only becomes evident when it is already at an advanced stage. Unlike...
Work-related accident kills 1, sends a co-worker to the hospital
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was at the scene of a grain bin accident in Illinois on a recent Wednesday afternoon. Several teams of rescuers were involved in the effort to bring two workers to safety. Sadly, only one survived this...
Cold temperature cause of many workers’ compensation claims
Along with the freezing weather this winter, comes the hazards of cold stress for outdoor workers in Illinois and across the Midwest. Low temperatures and strong winds cause many workplace injuries and related workers' compensation claims each year. Safety authorities...
Dropped object standards to prevent serious work injury
Dropped objects pose severe risks in Illinois and wherever work is done on different levels. Safety authorities adopted standards to mitigate dropped object hazards over a year ago, but such injuries continue to occur. Even a small object dropped from an elevated work...
Work injury: Cold stress can be deadly
Heading toward January, which is typically the coldest month in Illinois, employers must review their safety protocols and arrange safety training to ensure employees know the risks of cold stress. The effects of cold stress cause many a work injury. Workers must...
Safety violations expose firefighters to serious injury hazards
The Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently released a list of the top five safety violations that agency inspectors identified at fire departments across Illinois in the 2019 fiscal year. The agency hopes to reduce the serious injury incidents...