Amputation and crushing injuries: $1.9M state fine
A dairy bottling and distribution company in Battle Ground, Washington, faces $1,848,000 in fines for multiple willful violations after a worker’s hand was crushed.
Trucking
Company has to pay $5.4M in worker’s death
A Georgia court has ordered a trucking company to pay the heirs of a worker $5.4 million. The worker was killed when he was run over by a dump truck.
Company to pay $30K to settle suit involving inability to provide urine sample
A trucking company has agreed to pay $30,000 following its withdrawal of a conditional job offer. The applicant wasn’t able to provide a urine sample for a drug test due to a medical condition.
Did pre-existing condition negate workers’ comp for injury?
An employee had two previous surgeries for herniated discs, neither one caused by work. Years later he injured his back again, this time on the job. Will workers’ comp pay for this injury?
Did worker die from toxic fume exposure or heart failure?
A decision by a judge in Colorado highlights a hazard faced by workers in the oil and gas industries, and that more efforts are needed to protect these workers from potential death.
Doctors didn’t say she was totally disabled; judge says she is anyway
When it comes to deciding whether an injured employee should get temporary total disability payments from workers’ comp, just how much do doctors’ opinions matter?
Driver walks off job over truck’s safety: Can company fire him?
A driver raises safety questions about the truck his employer assigns him to drive. The company fires him when he refuses to drive the truck because it was leaking coolant. Does the driver get whistleblower protection?
Employee electrocuted by overhead utility line
A word to the wise for employees: When it comes to overhead utility lines, let the experts deal with them. This case shows the alternative can be deadly.
Feds shut down company, call it ‘imminent hazard’
Yep, the federal government can shut down some types of businesses if it thinks the company is an imminent hazard.
Feds shut down trucking company over safety concerns
It doesn’t take a crash, injuries or deaths for federal authorities to shut down a motor carrier. Serious concerns about vehicle and driver safety are enough to take commercial vehicles off the road, as this case shows.
Fired for saying co-driver shouldn’t smoke in vehicle carrying explosives
OSHA has ordered an Arizona trucking company to reinstate an employee and pay him $315,000 in back wages and damages. The employee said his co-driver shouldn’t smoke while hauling explosives — a violation of federal regulations.
Forklift runs over worker’s foot: After amputation, can he get comp and sue?
A truck driver’s foot was run over by a forklift while he was making a delivery. His leg was amputated, and he got workers’ comp from his employer. Can he also sue the company where he was making the delivery?
Hazard reduction strategies for long work shifts
It’s often unavoidable: Employees in safety-sensitive jobs have to put in long hours to meet a deadline. However, a new report suggests there are steps that can reduce the risks that fatigue will lead to injuries or even death.
How does your company’s cell phone policy stack up?
Does your company have a policy that prohibits texting and/or talking on cell phones while employees are driving for business purposes? A recent survey provides some benchmarks.
How Supreme Court nominee could change workplace safety
While a judge on the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor disagreed with two fellow judges who ruled an employer could set safety standards higher than what the government required.
Injured during pre-employment test: Does he qualify for workers’ comp benefits?
If someone is injured during a pre-employment test, do they get workers’ comp benefits? The answer to that question came down to the definition of a three-letter word.
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