The Liberty Mutual 2018 Workplace Safety Index provides a list of the most common claims it sees for injuries, but there is also some big picture information that is worth looking at as well. According to the insurance carrier, the good news from 2018 was that workplaces are slightly safer with a 1.5 percent overall reduction in serious accidents. This is tempered by some bad news, which is that the cost of serious injuries continues to rise. This year there was a 3 percent rise in cost to businesses, which added up to a total of $58 billion.
Helpful safety tips for working outside this winter
We are now in the heart of winter with short daylight hours and sub-freezing temperatures as well as freezing rain and snow. This is not big news to people here in Pennsylvania who drive to and from work on our dark slippery roads. However, the winter months also present serious challenges for workplace safety to those working outside or even just parking in a lot and coming in to work.
Physical therapy-first is a growing part of workers' treatment
Workers' compensation claims and occupational injury rates have declined in recent years. According to a recent recent report by MedRisk, which located in King of Prussia, there has been a 13 percent increase in physical therapy or occupational therapy despite an 18 percent decrease in occupational injuries and a 19 percent decrease in claims frequency.
PTA employee claims boss's treatment led to heart attack
A 30-year-veteran of the Pennsylvania Transit Authority (PTA) is taking his employer to federal court for alleged abuse by a boss. According to reports, the $150,000 lawsuit claims that a worker's boss created a stressful work environment where he was continually bullied, which ultimately led to a heart attack in 2017. The man, who is of Indian descent, also claims that his boss discriminated against him because of his race.
Medical marijuana is a hot topic for workers' compensation
Medical marijuana is a topic that seems to be creeping up in the news a lot lately. Recently, there was a Workers' Compensation Conference in Pennsylvania. During this, one hot topic was workers who use medical marijuana. What became evident at the conference is that this is a new area of the law which probably won't have clear answers for a while.
Handling changes to workers' compensation benefits
Workers who are injured while they are doing their jobs count on workers' compensation. They need the program benefits to help them get medical care and pay for their bills while they are off work. For some workers, everything seems fine at first. They might think that they are going to be taken care of until they can go back to work.
Try to prevent work-related backaches
When you go home from work, you shouldn't have to deal with annoying aches and pains. Even people who have physically demanding jobs deserve to be comfortable once they get home. One thing that might happen at any job is a backache. backaches are unfortunately common but they do not have to be an everyday occurrence, and they might signal a serious problem. Fortunately, there are some easy ways that you can protect your back in a way that might prevent a backache.
Workers' compensation coverage is vital for employees
Being hurt at work is a difficult situation for workers. For many of them, the desire to just keep on working to earn a paycheck is great. The situation becomes challenging when that isn't possible.
Back injuries might be preventable
Back pain can impact your ability to do anything at all. Even the simplest of tasks, such as getting dressed, might be excruciating when you have something wrong with your back. This is why it is imperative for a worker to take care of his or her spine while working. There are several ways to do this, so here are a few to think about.
Don't accept financial responsibility for work-related injuries
When you applied to work for the company you are with now, you probably didn't accept the position with the purpose of getting into an accident in mind. Unfortunately, America's workers are placed in dangerous positions on a daily basis. Even jobs that you wouldn't think of as dangerous can end up injuring workers.
