According to the National Institution for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), approximately 100 workers are injured daily on farms. Tractors are responsible for a substantial number of serious farm work-related accidents. The injuries range from the relatively minor, such as repetitive stress injuries, to fatalities from tractor rollovers. Farms are wide-ranging environments from cattle ranches to mega soy and corn farms, which results in a wide range of injuries. Who is at Risk? In 2018, about two million people were employed full-time in agriculture production. An additional 1.4 to 2.1 million are seasonally hired workers. Of those workers, about 820,000 youths (people […]
On March 17, 2020, the Social Security Administration (SSA) closed all hearing offices to members of the public for in-person appearances in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The SSA argued that the closure protects the people it serves, such as older Americans and people with medical conditions, as well as its employees and judges. The SSA does not have an estimate as to when it will begin offering in-person hearings again. However, it likely won’t be until after a vaccine is approved and widely distributed. The SSA offers two alternatives to in-person hearings: (1) telephonic and (2) online video. Telephonic […]
A salmonella outbreak linked to Thomson International, Inc. of Bakersfield, California, has resulted in at least 1,012 illnesses. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with their counterparts in Canada, and local and state agencies are conducting a multistate investigation into a salmonella outbreak. Canadian and CDC investigators linked the outbreak to products originating from the United States. Based on that information, the FDA traced the source of the outbreak to Thomson International. On August 1, 2020, they issued a recall. Source of the Outbreak The source of the outbreak was a batch of red […]
Structural collapses are caused by many different factors, including but not limited to poor structural integrity, design flaws, overloading, improper safety, and negligent maintenance. Structural collapse refers to a building prematurely collapsing, for example, when workers are still inside preparing the building for demolition. Structural Collapse During Construction or Demolition Structural collapse typically occurs in either of two phases: construction or demolition of a building. Structural collapse during demolition is one of the leading causes of construction workers’ serious injuries and fatalities. Collapses during demolition work often occur because the contractor does not follow the principles of how to demolish […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Social Security Administration (SSA), which administers SSI and SSDI benefits, to work remotely which may affect some services, but ongoing payments for existing claims should not be affected. On March 17, the SSA closed its field and hearing offices to members of the public. However, SSA employees are continuing to work on critical cases to ensure that disability claims are reviewed and payments continue. The SSA is prioritizing processing: Applications for claimants who are terminally ill, Wounded Warriors, and other serious cases Changes to direct deposit, reports of death, changes of representatives, and changes […]
In general, a reasonable settlement offer should compensate a victim for their injuries (i.e., medical bills), property damages (i.e., cost to repair their vehicle), and lost income, as well as ancillary costs related to these injuries. However, for most insurance companies, the outer limit of coverage is the policy limit. Therefore, many settlement offers will be constrained between these two competing goals: (1) make the victim whole, and (2) staying within the policy limit. Illinois Car Insurance Law Illinois law mandates that drivers carry the following minimum insurance coverage: $20,000 for bodily injury; and $15,000 for property damage. Therefore, the […]
Employers are required to provide workers’ compensation to their Illinois-localized employees. Employers are required to provide workers’ compensation coverage the instant they hire a single employee. Employers are subject to significant fines if they fail to provide insurance. Furthermore, corporate officers can be held personally liable if the corporate entity fails to pay the penalty. Illinois Workers’ Compensation: Covered Workers Workers’ compensation must cover any worker who is Illinois localized. Illinois workers’ compensation laws provide coverage to the following workers: Employees work principally in Illinois; Employee whose work contract was made in Illinois; and Employees who are injured in Illinois […]
Disability insurance payments (Social Security Disability) are available to anyone who qualifies for payments and is unable to work at the same level or at all. COVID-19 attacks the lungs and, in some instances, can cause permanent damage. Therefore, it is possible that after contracting COVID-19 that some workers may be unable to return to their regular job and will suffer a reduction in income, which should qualify them for disability benefits. What Does COVID-19 do to the Lungs? COVID-19 is a disease caused by the novel coronavirus. COVID-19 is such a problem for public health officials because it has […]
COVID-19 panic shopping exposed thousands of people to unnecessary risk of infection. Panic shopping is a phenomenon wherein individuals make multiple trips to the grocery store and/or purchase significantly more than the recommended two or three weeks’ worth of food. Grocers all across the country witnesses thousands of people needlessly expose themselves and others to possible infection by taking repeat trips to the grocery store. Experts Recommend Minimizing Large Crowds Public health orders from federal, state, and local governments prohibit large gatherings of individuals. However, grocery stores cannot avoid these limitations. Grocery stores are one of the last places left […]
Approximately 4,300 accidents occur, over 1,000 injuries are incurred, and 12,000 people are involved in construction work zones every year in Illinois. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these injuries are most likely to occur on Wednesdays, between 12 and 4:00 p.m. These staggering numbers result in a high number of road worker and motorist fatalities. For example, 55 percent of annual road worker fatalities are caused by being struck by a vehicle. Digging into the Numbers These staggering figures hide an unexpected figure that there are approximately ten motorist fatalities for every one road worker. The reason […]
