According to a study published in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence Journal, researchers say that heavy recreational marijuana users are poor drivers – even when they’re not high – when compared to those who do not use marijuana at all. Researchers found that users, especially those who started using marijuana early in high school, had… Read More »
Increase in Workplace Fatalities in the U.S.
Nearly 5 million employees are injured on the job every year and workplace fatalities are on the rise. A recent census released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that fatal workplace injuries have increased 2% since 2017 – 5,147 lives lost on the job in 2017 to 5,250 in 2018. Transportation incidents are… Read More »
Workers’ Comp Denied After Drug Test
When an employee is injured in a work related accident, workers’ compensation is supposed to cover medical bills and any lost wages while they recover. However, a positive drug test may result in workers’ compensation benefits being denied wreaking financial havoc on the worker and their family. Drug Testing Following a Work Place Accident Following… Read More »
Emergency Workers Struck by Distracted Drivers
Recently a police officer blocking off an area around an accident in Rockford was struck by a distracted driver believed to be under the influence of alcohol and texting on her phone. The police officer was taken to a hospital with minor injuries and, fortunately, the driver of the vehicle who struck him not was… Read More »
Wrongful Death by Police Involving Accidental Shootings
In 2018, the family of a Burlington, Iowa woman fatally shot by a police officer was awarded $2 million in a wrongful death settlement. The accidental shooting sent shock waves through the community where many struggled to understand what the victim’s mother characterized as “the unreasonable, unnecessary and reckless” manner in which the officer fired… Read More »
Leading Causes of Holiday Traffic Accidents: Impaired Driving, Distracted Driving and Speeding
As holiday travelers make it to and from their destinations, Iowa and Illinois state patrol are on the lookout for not only speeders, but also impaired and distracted drivers that can make traveling unsafe. Nearly one third of all car accidents can be traced back to speeding. Tens of thousands are injured every year in… Read More »
SCOTUS to Decide Whether Sexual Orientation Discrimination Prohibited Under Law
Last month the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on whether existing federal law prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Although 22 states including Iowa have laws that forbid sexual orientation discrimination on the job, federal law does not offer the same protection. The Court is being asked to decide, once and… Read More »
Pedestrian Fatalities Increase
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study reveals that an average of 17 pedestrians were killed every day in traffic accidents in 2018, making it the deadliest year for pedestrians since 1990. Thousands of pedestrians were killed and many more injured in traffic crashes across the nation, a disturbing 3.4 percent increase when other traffic… Read More »
Forklift and Pallet Jack Work Accidents
Employees that work in factories, large distribution centers, warehouses or any of the massive home improvement stores across the country often work alongside forklift operators or employees on pallet jacks who move loads to various locations around a facility, sometimes pulling down or lifting up loads from towering shelves above or moving pallets across a… Read More »
Work Related Silicosis Disease & Lung Injury
Thousands of cabinet workers in the U.S. may be at risk of injury from inhaling silica dust; artificial stone containing the mineral silica used to make kitchen and bath countertops has been linked to deaths and irreversible lung injury in workers that manufacture, sell and install countertops for a living. Dust from cutting slabs of… Read More »