Sometimes a doctor may recommend ACDF surgery to treat occupational related conditions such as herniated discs or degenerative disc diseases to provide relief. Anterior cervical discectomy or ACDF is a surgical procedure to remove a herniated or degenerative disc in the spine, which is then replaced by a spacer bone graft to fill the space.… Read More »
Marijuana Impairment at Work in the Age of Legalization
With Illinois set to legalize recreational marijuana use January 1, 2020, a whole host of worker safety issues and potential workers’ compensation claims come into play as do potential employment law issues as employers grapple with how to handle potentially impaired employees and what consequences will follow – all within the framework of Illinois and… Read More »
Roundup Makers to Pay $80 Million to Cancer Sufferer
Glyphosate, the main ingredient in most week killers used in commercial agriculture and home lawn care certainly cuts down on pesky weeds, but does it come with too high a price? Given the attention that the chemical is getting because of alleged links to cancer, some believe it may not be worth it to mess… Read More »
The Role That Fatigue Plays in Workplace Injuries
Although it does not go so far as recognizing workplace burnout as a medical condition, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the burnout many employees experience on the job as a bonafide occupational phenomenon in its International Classification of Diseases. Overworked, under compensated, with work related emails and texts to answer 24/7, many American… Read More »
Raising Awareness to Prevent Swimming Pool Drowning & Injury
May is National Water Safety Month and this year, organizers hope to raise pool and spa safety awareness ahead of the summer swimming season. Unfortunately, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over 4,000 people lose their lives every year in drowning accidents in the U.S. Thousands of others suffer swimming pool… Read More »
Firefighter Injury Compensation
An Iowa firefighter who survived an 80 foot fall after an explosion at a silo inferno is speaking out about the perilous experience. Back in January, the 23-year-old man and another firefighter were putting out a fire on top of a silo when the structure caught fire. Soon after an explosion erupted knocking the firefighters… Read More »
Supreme Court Weighs Transgender and Sexual Orientation Discrimination
A transgender woman’s wrongful termination case is among three cases that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear to tackle the question of whether federal anti-discrimination laws, specifically Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, applies to employees based on gender identity or sexual orientation. The details of the wrongful termination case… Read More »
Restricting Non Compete Agreements for Hourly Workers
The Freedom to Compete Act seeks to prevent employers from forcing hourly workers to sign non-compete agreements, which make it next to impossible to switch jobs in hopes of earning a higher wage. More than 10 percent of workers who earn less than $40,000 annually are locked into a non-compete agreements nationwide, stifling their ability… Read More »
Employer Retaliation Wrongful Termination
Repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, a back injury, or other conditions that result from performing the duties of a job sometimes require medical attention and days off from work to resolve the injury. Unfortunately, an employee may experience retaliation including wrongful termination when they file a workers’ compensation claim to take care… Read More »
Top Ten Workplace Safety Violations in 2018
Workplace injuries are often preventable when employers follow safety rule and regulations. Unfortunately, when safety is not a priority, the risk to workers being injured by workplace accidents increases. In 2018, OSHA issued thousands of citations that underscore some of the hazards workers face every day in the workplace. The top ten include: Fall… Read More »