Chicago Workers Compensation Lawyer Blog

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued its list of the 10 most common workplace safety violations for the year:

• 9,093 Scaffolding violations: Most common causes of scaffolding accidents involve the support or planking giving way or the employee slipping or getting hit by a falling object.

• 6,771 Fall Protection violations: Workers in the general industry working at a height of four feet or greater must be adequately protected. In the construction arena workers must be protected when working at six feet or higher.

• 6,378 Hazard Communication violations: Chemical makers and importers must evaluate the hazards of their products and develop safety data sheets and labels so that downstream clients are made aware of these hazards.

• 3,803 Respiratory Protection violations: Workers must be protected against dangerous dusts, smokes, fogs, gases, mists, sprays, vapors, and inadequate oxygen environments. Failure to do so can result in lung impairment, cancer, and other diseases. It can also lead to deaths.

• 3,321 Lockout-Tag Out violations: Employees must be protected from hazardous energy released during maintenance or service. They also must be protected from the unexpected activation of equipment and machinery.

• 3,079 Electrical Wiring Violations: Electricians, engineers, sales people, office workers, and other employees must be protected from the hazards of working directly or indirectly with electricity.

• 3,072 Ladder violations: Falls from ladders can result in traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and death. Fall accidents cause 8% of all occupational-related fatalities involving trauma.

• 2,993 Powered-Industrial Trucks violations: Tens of thousands of people are injured each year because of forklift accidents.

• 2,556 Electrical violations

• 2,364 Machine Guarding violations: Protecting workers from any part, process, or function that can injure or kill a worker.

Compared to same time period last year, the number of top 10 violations has gone up nearly 30%.

Regardless of who or what caused a work accident, most workers are entitled to Illinois workers’ compensation benefits.

OSHA Reports on Top 10 Safety Violations for 2009, Reuters.PR Newswire, October 27, 2009

Related Web Resources:

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On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee listened to retired NFL football players talk about how years of getting hit on the head while playing the game has caused them to struggle with depression, homelessness, memory problems, and the ability to complete simple tasks. Some researchers are even drawing a link between professional football and memory-related diseases, including dementia. According to a study conducted at the University of Michigan, retired pro football players may have a six times greater incidence rate when it comes to suffering from dementia compared to the rest of the population.

Boston University School of Medicine Chris Nowinski says striking one’s head thousands of time while playing football can cause a disease that kills brain cells. Neuropathologist Dr. Anne McKee, who had had examined the brains of numerous professional and college football players, said 11 of her subjects exhibited brain degradation, memory loss, and emotional issues prior to their deaths.

Also attending the hearing was NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. He pointed out the improvements the NFL has made, including better helmet technology and banning certain kinds of physical hits. He refused to acknowledge a direct connection between playing football and brain disorders.

Regardless, hitting your head or having your head struck can result in serious head injuries and traumatic brain injuries. Depending on the seriousness of the head injury or TBI, it can also lead to long-term disabilities, impairment of the senses, language difficulties, problems being able to reason, emotional problems, social inappropriateness, epilepsy, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s disease, coma, and death.

In this state, NFL players are entitled to Illinois workers’ compensation benefits.

NFL head injuries a hot topic in Congress, Los Angeles Times, October 29, 2009

House Judiciary Committee Hearing Calls Attention to Long-Term Effects of Head Injury Among NFL Players, Reuters, October 28, 2009

Related Web Resources:
National Football League

Illinois Workers' Compensation Act

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A Monroe County construction worker is suing Rehkemper & Sons and National Crane Company for his work injuries. Andrew Buckley claims he started to experience mental, personality, and behavioral changes after he sustained a traumatic brain injury while on the job.

Buckley says that on July 11, 2007, he was hit in the head and chest by bundled floor trusses that had fallen after the crane arm that was carrying the materials suddenly broke. The impact of being struck by the bundles threw him backward onto concrete.

Buckley says that as a result of the crane accident, he sustained facial fractures and had to undergo reconstruction surgery. He also sustained a TBI. He contends that his ability to work and enjoy life became impaired and he lost income because he couldn’t work.

At the time of the work accident, Buckley was employed by McFadden Construction Company, and Rehkember and Sons was using mobile cranes at the Columbia construction site. He is seeking over $50,000 plus other relief.

Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries are catastrophic injuries that can seriously impair your ability to live a normal life. A person with a TBI may no longer be able to work or perform daily tasks, and his or her ability to interact with family and friends may become seriously impaired.

While Illinois workers’ compensation benefits will provide you with some compensation for your TBI that you sustained in a work accident, this may not be enough to cover all your costs and losses. An experienced Chicago workers’ compensation lawyer can determine whether you have grounds for filing a third party lawsuit against other liable parties.

Traumatic brain injury at work site prompts suit, The Record, June 11, 2009

Brain injuries are the 'invisible' disability, The Enterprise-Bulletin, June 11, 2009

Related Web Resources:
TBIs, CDC.gov

Construction Accidents Overview, Justia

A major construction accident at the Atlanta Botanical Garden left one worker dead and 18 others injured. The work accident occurred on Friday morning as crews poured concrete on Canopy Walk when part of the walkway collapsed.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the cause of the deadly work accident. A preliminary autopsy report found that worker Angel Chupin died due to blunt force injuries. Chupin was 66. Traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries were among the serious injuries suffered by the other workers. All of the injury victims are Hispanic and in their 20’s and 30’s.

On Tuesday, four of the construction workers who suffered serious injuries were transported to the Shepherd Center’s ICU. According to Dr. Donald Leslie, the victims either have brain damage or are partially paralyzed. At least 8 medical workers will be tasked with providing medical care for each patient.

In addition to Hardin Construction Co, the other companies charged with concrete-related tasks for the walkway are subcontractors Pioneer Concrete Pumping Inc., SDC Concrete Construction, and Forta Corp.

Catastrophic Injuries
Spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries are very serious kinds of injuries that can alter a victim’s life forever. Depending on the severity of the injury, a person may become paralyzed for life, end up in a coma or brain dead, or lose the ability to perform regular activities due to loss of muscle control or the ability to communicate or understand language. SCI’s and TBI’s usually require specialized, costly medical care.

If your loved one suffered a catastrophic injury or died during an Illinois construction accident, not only are you entitled to workers’ compensation benefits but you may also be able to recover damages from liable third parties.

Botanical garden accident kills 1, injures 18, AJC, December 19, 2008

4 hurt at Botanical Garden moved to Shepherd Center, AJC, December 22, 2008

Related Web Resource:

OSHA

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