Copyright
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Workplace Deaths Rise
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
The problem with workers’ compensation award ceremonies
Thursday, March 28, 2019
The Oklahoma Opioid Settlement: A Promising Impact on Workers’ Compensation
See also:
New York Sues Sackler Family Members and Drug Distributors (NY Times 3/29/2019)
New York State 1st Amended Complaint (3/28/2019)
Updated: 3/29/2019
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Making Workplaces Safer
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
US BLS Reports: Deaths on the Job Soar
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Trump Administration May Bring a Surge in Occupational Disease Claims
Thursday, January 5, 2017
NJ Braces For Winter Weather --- Snow
Winter Driving
- Brakes: Brakes should provide even and balanced braking. Also check that brake fluid is at the proper level.
- Cooling System: Ensure a proper mixture of 50/50 antifreeze and water in the cooling system at the proper level.
- Electrical System: Check the ignition system and make sure that the battery is fully charged and that the connections are clean. Check that the alternator belt is in good condition with proper tension.
- Engine: Inspect all engine systems.
- Exhaust System: Check exhaust for leaks and that all clamps and hangers are snug.
- Tires: Check for proper tread depth and no signs of damage or uneven wear. Check for proper tire inflation.
- Oil: Check that oil is at proper level.
- Visibility Systems: Inspect all exterior lights, defrosters (windshield and rear window), and wipers. Install winter windshield wipers.
- Cellphone or two-way radio
- Windshield ice scraper
- Snow brush
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- Shovel
- Tow chain
- Traction aids (bag of sand or cat litter)
- Emergency flares
- Jumper cables
- Snacks
- Water
- Road maps
- Blankets, change of clothes
Work Zone Traffic Safety
Stranded in a Vehicle
Shoveling Snow
Using Powered Equipment like Snow Blowers
Clearing Snow from Roofs and Working at Heights
Preventing Slips on Snow and Ice
- Wear proper footwear when walking on snow or ice is unavoidable, because it is especially treacherous. A pair of insulated and water resistant boots with good rubber treads is a must for walking during or after a winter storm. Keeping a pair of rubber over-shoes with good treads which fit over your street shoes is a good idea during the winter months.
- Take short steps and walk at a slower pace so you can react quickly to a change in traction, when walking on an icy or snow-covered walkway.
Repairing Downed or Damaged Power Lines
- Electrocution by contacting downed energized power lines, or contacting objects, such as broken tree limbs, in contact with downed energized power lines.
- Fires caused by an energized line or equipment failure.
- Being struck or crushed by falling tree limbs, collapsing poles, etc.
Working Near Downed or Damaged power lines
Removing Downed Trees
- Electrocution by contacting downed energized power lines or contacting broken tree limbs in contact with downed energized power lines. Learn more at: Line Clearance Tree Trimming Operations (OSHA Electric Power eTool).
- Falls from heights.
- Being injured by equipment such as chain saws (Chain Saw Safety* (OSHA QuickCard™)) and chippers (Chipper Machine Safety* (OSHA QuickCard™)).
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
OSHA cites Jersey City Medical Center (St Barnabas) $174,393
OSHA began its inspection on June 28, 2016, after the employer notified the Agency that a worker needed to be hospitalized after falling from a ladder as he changed an overhead ballast in a light fixture. The worker later died from his injuries on July 17, 2016.
The agency cited the willful violation because the facility required employees to change ballasts without the proper lockout/tagout training on practices and procedures necessary to disable machinery or equipment to prevent hazardous energy release, as well as other safety hazards and related unsafe practices.
The serious violations involved the medical center's failure to ensure de-energized circuits were locked out, maintain an electrical lockout/tagout program, ensure that only qualified persons worked on live circuits, provide personal protective equipment, and ensure workers did not work on live parts.
"This worker's tragic death was preventable. Jersey City Medical Center did not have basic lockout/tagout safeguards in place to prevent exposure to electrical hazards, and failed to train its maintenance workers on these safeguards. As a result, the worker sustained an electrical shock while changing the ballast, fell approximately 6 feet off a ladder and died from his injuries," said Kris Hoffman, director of OSHA's Parsippany Area Office.
Proposed penalties: $174,593
The citation can be viewed at: https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/JerseyCityMedicalCenter_1158589.pdf
The employer has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint; or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Parsippany Area Office at 973-263-1003.
Thursday, December 29, 2016
OSHA cites NJ roofing contractor for exposing workers to falls, other hazards $112K
Feb 26, 2016 ... OSHA finds Middlesex contractor exposed workers to fall hazards after investigation of roofer's death at Parsippany jobsite S&S Roofing Inc., ...
workers-compensation.blogspot.com
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Aug 17, 2016 ... Investigation findings: OSHA initiated an inspection on April 25, 2016, after a compliance officer observed Furia Roofing employees working on ...
workers-compensation.blogspot.com
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Mar 8, 2011 ... Feb 9 2011, DISTRIBUTED for Conference of February 25, 2011. Feb 16 2011, Reply of petitioner Vaughan Roofing & Sheet Metal, LLC filed.
workers-compensation.blogspot.com
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May 20, 2013 ... For example, a roofing company may have 30 roofers doing the actual work but these workers are classified as "independent contractors" ...
workers-compensation.blogspot.com
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Saturday, December 17, 2016
OSHA Cites Paterson NJ Laundry for Violations - $91K In Fines
Paterson's Star Laundry fined $91K for 12 federal violations
- Employer name:
- Star Laundry Inc.
- 421 and 436 East 16th St.
- Paterson, New Jersey
Friday, December 16, 2016
FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES INCREASED in 2015
Friday, April 22, 2016
22 million U.S. workers are exposed to hazardous occupational noise
Monday, March 28, 2016
Vehicle Safety: Automatic Braking Standard to be Adopted by 20 Auto Manfacturers
Friday, December 18, 2015
CDC Reports Increases in Drug and Opioid Overdose Deaths in US 2000-2014
The National Vital Statistics System multiple cause-of-death mortality files were used to identify drug overdose deaths.* Drug overdose deaths were classified using the International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), based on the ICD-10 underlying cause-of-death codes X40–44 (unintentional), X60–64 (suicide), X85 (homicide), or Y10–Y14 (undetermined intent) (2). Among the deaths with drug overdose as the underlying cause, the type of opioid involved is indicated by the following ICD-10 multiple cause-of-death codes: opioids (T40.0, T40.1, T40.2, T40.3, T40.4, or T40.6); natural and semisynthetic opioids (T40.2); methadone (T40.3); synthetic opioids, other than methadone (T40.4); and heroin (T40.1). Some deaths involve more than one type of opioid; these deaths were included in the rates for each category (e.g., a death involving both a synthetic opioid and heroin would be included in the rates for synthetic opioid deaths and in the rates for heroin deaths). Age-adjusted death rates were calculated by applying age-specific death rates to the 2000 U.S standard population age distribution (3). Significance testing was based on the z-test at a significance level of 0.05.
During 2014, 47,055 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States. Since 2000, the age-adjusted drug overdose death rate has more than doubled, from 6.2 per 100,000 persons in 2000 to 14.7 per 100,000 in 2014 (Figure 1). The overall number and rate of drug overdose deaths increased significantly from 2013 to 2014, with an additional 3,073 deaths occurring in 2014 (Table), resulting in a 6.5% increase in the age-adjusted rate. From 2013 to 2014, statistically significant increases in drug overdose death rates were seen for both males and females, persons aged 25–34 years, 35–44 years, 55–64 years, and ≥65 years; non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks; and residents in the Northeast, Midwest and South Census Regions (Table). In 2014, the five states with the highest rates of drug overdose deaths were West Virginia (35.5 deaths per 100,000), New Mexico (27.3), New Hampshire (26.2), Kentucky (24.7) and Ohio(24.6).† States with statistically significant increases in the rate of drug overdose deaths from 2013 to 2014 included Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
In 2014, 61% (28,647, data not shown) of drug overdose deaths involved some type of opioid, including heroin. The age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths involving opioids increased significantly from 2000 to 2014, increasing 14% from 2013 (7.9 per 100,000) to 2014 (9.0) (Figure 1). From 2013 to 2014, the largest increase in the rate of drug overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids, other than methadone (e.g., fentanyl and tramadol), which nearly doubled from 1.0 per 100,000 to 1.8 per 100,000 (Figure 2). Heroin overdose death rates increased by 26% from 2013 to 2014 and have more than tripled since 2010, from 1.0 per 100,000 in 2010 to 3.4 per 100,000 in 2014 (Figure 2). In 2014, the rate of drug overdose deaths involving natural and semisynthetic opioids (e.g., morphine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone), 3.8 per 100,000, was the highest among opioid overdose deaths, and increased 9% from 3.5 per 100,000 in 2013. The rate of drug overdose deaths involving methadone, a synthetic opioid classified separately from other synthetic opioids, was similar in 2013 and 2014.
Discussion
More persons died from drug overdoses in the United States in 2014 than during any previous year on record. From 2000 to 2014 nearly half a million persons in the United States have died from drug overdoses. In 2014, there were approximately one and a half times more drug overdose deaths in the United States than deaths from motor vehicle crashes (4). Opioids, primarily prescription pain relievers and heroin, are the main drugs associated with overdose deaths. In 2014, opioids were involved in 28,647 deaths, or 61% of all drug overdose deaths; the rate of opioid overdoses has tripled since 2000. The 2014 data demonstrate that the United States' opioid overdose epidemic includes two distinct but interrelated trends: a 15-year increase in overdose deaths involving prescription opioid pain relievers and a recent surge in illicit opioid overdose deaths, driven largely by heroin.
Natural and semisynthetic opioids, which include the most commonly prescribed opioid pain relievers, oxycodone and hydrocodone, continue to be involved in more overdose deaths than any other opioid type. Although this category of opioid drug overdose death had declined in 2012 compared with 2011, and had held steady in 2013, there was a 9% increase in 2014.
Drug overdose deaths involving heroin continued to climb sharply, with heroin overdoses more than tripling in 4 years. This increase mirrors large increases in heroin use across the country (5) and has been shown to be closely tied to opioid pain reliever misuse and dependence. Past misuse of prescription opioids is the strongest risk factor for heroin initiation and use, specifically among persons who report past-year dependence or abuse (5). The increased availability of heroin, combined with its relatively low price (compared with diverted prescription opioids) and high purity appear to be major drivers of the upward trend in heroin use and overdose (6).
The rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids nearly doubled between 2013 and 2014. This category includes both prescription synthetic opioids (e.g., fentanyl and tramadol) and non-pharmaceutical fentanyl manufactured in illegal laboratories (illicit fentanyl). Toxicology tests used by coroners and medical examiners are unable to distinguish between prescription and illicit fentanyl. Based on reports from states and drug seizure data, however, a substantial portion of the increase in synthetic opioid deaths appears to be related to increased availability of illicit fentanyl (7), although this cannot be confirmed with mortality data. For example, five jurisdictions (Florida, Maryland, Maine, Ohio, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) that reported sharp increases in illicit fentanyl seizures, and screened persons who died from a suspected drug overdose for fentanyl, detected similarly sharp increases in fentanyl-relateddeaths (7).§ Finally, illicit fentanyl is often combined with heroin or sold as heroin. Illicit fentanyl might be contributing to recent increases in drug overdose deaths involving heroin. Therefore, increases in illicit fentanyl-associated deaths might represent an emerging and troubling feature of the rise in illicit opioid overdoses that has been driven by heroin.
The findings in this report are subject to at least three limitations. First, several factors related to death investigation might affect estimates of death rates involving specific drugs. At autopsy, toxicological laboratory tests might be performed to determine the type of drugs present; however, the substances tested for and circumstances under which the tests are performed vary by jurisdiction. Second, in 2013 and 2014, 22% and 19% of drug overdose deaths, respectively, did not include information on the death certificate about the specific types of drugs involved. The percent of overdose deaths with specific drugs identified on the death certificate varies widely by state. Some of these deaths might have involved opioids. This increase in the reporting of specific drugs in 2014 might have contributed to some of the observed increases in drug overdose death rates involving different types of opioids from 2013 to 2014. Finally, some heroin deaths might be misclassified as morphine because morphine and heroin are metabolized similarly (8), which might result in an underreporting of heroin overdose deaths.
To reverse the epidemic of opioid drug overdose deaths and prevent opioid-related morbidity, efforts to improve safer prescribing of prescription opioids must be intensified. Opioid pain reliever prescribing has quadrupled since 1999 and has increased in parallel with overdoses involving the most commonly used opioid pain relievers (1). CDC has developed a draft guideline for the prescribing of opioids for chronic pain to address this need.¶
In addition, efforts are needed to protect persons already dependent on opioids from overdose and other harms. This includes expanding access to and use of naloxone (a safe and effective antidote for all opioid-related overdoses)** and increasing access to medication-assisted treatment, in combination with behavioral therapies (9). Efforts to ensure access to integrated prevention services, including access to syringe service programs when available, is also an important consideration to prevent the spread of hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus infections from injection drug use.
Public health agencies, medical examiners and coroners, and law enforcement agencies can work collaboratively to improve detection of outbreaks of drug overdose deaths involving illicit opioids (including heroin and illicit fentanyl) through improved investigation and testing as well as reporting and monitoring of specific drugs, and facilitate a rapid and effective response that can address this emerging threat to public health and safety (7). Efforts are needed to distinguish the drugs contributing to overdoses to better understand this trend.
1Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC.
Corresponding author: Rose A. Rudd, rvr2@cdc.gov, 770-488-3712.
References
- Paulozzi LJ, Jones C, Mack K, Rudd R. Vital signs: overdoses of prescription opioid pain relievers—United States, 1999–2008. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2011;60:1487–92.
- Bergen G, Chen LH, Warner M, Fingerhut LA. Injury in the United States: 2007 chartbook. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2008 Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/misc/injury2007.pdf .
- Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD. Deaths: final data for 2010. National vital statistics reports. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2013. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61_04.pdf .
- CDC. Wide-ranging online data for epidemiologic research (WONDER). Atlanta, GA: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics; 2015. Available athttp://wonder.cdc.gov.
- Jones CM, Logan J, Gladden RM, Bohm MK. Vital signs: demographic and substance use trends among heroin users—United States, 2002–2013. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2015;64:719–25.
- Cicero TJ, Ellis MS, Surratt HL, Kurtz SP. The changing face of heroin use in the United States: a retrospective analysis of the past fifty years. JAMA Psychiatry 2014;71:821–6.
- CDC. Increases in fentanyl drug confiscations and fentanyl-related overdose fatalities. HAN Health Advisory. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2015. Available at http://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00384.asp.
- Davis GG. Complete republication: National Association of Medical Examiners position paper: recommendations for the investigation, diagnosis, and certification of deaths related to opioid drugs. J Med Toxicol 2014;10:100–6.
- Volkow ND, Frieden TR, Hyde PS, Cha SS. Medication-assisted therapies—tackling the opioid-overdose epidemic. N Engl J Med 2014;370:2063–6.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Employees exposed to dangerous workplace hazards at Pennsauken aluminum services plant
Employer name: Aluminum Shapes LLC, 9000 River Road, Delair, New Jersey.
Citations issued: On Sept. 21, 2015, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for one willful, three repeat, 35 serious, and five other-than-serious violations.
Investigation findings: OSHA launched an investigation April 16, 2015, after being notified that an employee suffered a broken leg on March 24 while operating a crane and was hospitalized. The company failed to report the incident to the agency within 24 hours, as required.
The willful citation involved electrical equipment with damaged parts that could adversely affect the safe operation or mechanical strength of the equipment. In addition, pendant control boxes for a crane were damaged, malfunctioning and not clearly marked; damaged slings were not removed from service; and metal saws were not guarded to prevent employee exposure, resulting in the repeat citations. Unguarded floor openings, lack of machine guarding and confined space training were among the serious violations.
The other-than-serious violations included the employer's failure to report the hospitalization and an inadequate hazard communication program.
Proposed Penalties: $308,000
Quote: "The number of safety violations found at Aluminum Shapes' plant is completely unacceptable. This employer blatantly ignored known safety requirements, causing a preventable worker injury," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator in New York. "This company is now paying a hefty price for its negligence. The hazards identified in the investigation should be immediately addressed to prevent future incidents and ensure worker safety."
View the citations: https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/Aluminum_Shapes_LLC_1059368_Sept_23_2015.pdf
Related articles
- Furniture plant workers repeatedly exposed to safety and health hazards in Northern New Jersey (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- NJ general contractor repeatedly exposed construction workers to fall hazards OSHA fines New Homes Construction Inc. $40,480 (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- Newark gas manufacturer repeatedly exposed employees to workplace hazards (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- OSHA cites Bergen Regional Medical Center after 8 employees assaulted or threatened by patients (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- OSHA fines Dayton, New Jersey, companies $64,200 for blocked exit routes and chemical, noise and energy control hazards (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- OSHA Fines Frost King $90K for Workplace Hazards (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- Reports of Worker Fatalities during Flowback Operations (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- FedEx cited by OSHA $44,000 for machine guard hazard (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN 2014 (PRELIMINARY RESULTS)
Key preliminary findings of the 2014 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:
The number of fatal work injuries in private goods-producing industries in 2014 was 9 percent
higher than the revised 2013 count but slightly lower in private service-providing industries. Fatal
injuries were higher in mining (up 17 percent), agriculture (up 14 percent), manufacturing (up
9 percent), and construction (up 6 percent). Fatal work injuries for government workers were
lower (down 12 percent).
Falls, slips, and trips increased 10 percent to 793 in 2014 from 724 in 2013. This was driven
largely by an increase in falls to a lower level to 647 in 2014 from 595 in 2013.
Fatal work injuries involving workers 55 years of age and over rose 9 percent to 1,621 in 2014 up
from 1,490 in 2013. The preliminary 2014 count for workers 55 and over is the highest total ever
reported by CFOI.
After a sharp decline in 2013, fatal work injuries among self-employed workers increased
10 percent in 2014 from 950 in 2013 to 1,047 in 2014.
Women incurred 13 percent more fatal work injuries in 2014 than in 2013. Even with this
increase, women accounted for only 8 percent of all fatal occupational injuries in 2014.
Fatal work injuries among Hispanic or Latino workers were lower in 2014, while fatal injuries
among non-Hispanic white, black or African-American, and Asian workers were all higher.
In 2014, 797 decedents were identified as contracted workers, 6 percent higher than the
749 fatally-injured contracted workers reported in 2013. Workers who were contracted at the time
of their fatal injury accounted for 17 percent of all fatal work injury cases in 2014.
The number of fatal work injuries among police officers and police supervisors was higher in
2014, rising from 88 in 2013 to 103 in 2014, an increase of 17 percent.
Related articles
- National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2013 (preliminary Results) (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- Why older workers are still wanted in the office (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- Falls from Roofs Account for One-Third of Construction Fall Fatalities (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- State With the Highest Deaths on the Job (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- The American Workforce is Working At Home (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
- Where near-minimum-wage workers work, and how much they make (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
Thursday, July 9, 2015
NJ general contractor repeatedly exposed construction workers to fall hazards OSHA fines New Homes Construction Inc. $40,480
Monday, May 18, 2015
The Role Workers’ Compensation Plays in the Amtrak Train 188 Derailment
Today's post is by guest author Brianne Rohner Erickson of the Nebraska Bar.
Our sympathies go out to all of the friends and families of the victims of Tuesday’s Amtrak passenger train derailment in Philadelphia, as well as a wish for the recovery of those injured. The latest news reports indicate that, as of Friday morning, the crash has left at least eight dead and more than 200 injured.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Professor John F Burton Jr: Illinois Proposed Changes Are Obectionable
Professor John F. Burton Jr. |
Thursday, January 22, 2015
More Cops Getting Killed on the Job, With 56% Rise in Gun Fatalities, Advocacy Group Says
Today's post is shared from bloomberg.com/ U.S. law-enforcement deaths rose to the highest in three years, led by a 56 percent increase in the number killed by gunfire, a pro-police group said, leaving officers on edge across the nation after the ambush of two New York City cops and shots near a squad car in Los Angeles. This year, 126 federal, state and local officers have died in the line of duty, according to data compiled and released today by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. That’s up from 102 last year. Fifty were shot, compared with 32 in 2013. Police have been on heightened alert as protests rocked the nation over the killings of unarmed black men by white police officers in Missouri and New York. Grand juries refused to indict officers in either case. Demonstrations flared into violence in some places, confronted by authorities including police in riot gear. “I’m deeply concerned that a growing anti-government sentiment in America is influencing weak-minded individuals to launch violent assaults against the men and women working to enforce our laws and keep our nation safe,” Craig Floyd, the memorial fund’s chairman, said in a telephone interview. “Enough is enough. We need to tone down the rhetoric and rally in support of law enforcement and against lawlessness.” This year, 49 of the 126 deaths, or more than one-third, came in traffic accidents. Twenty-four more were from job-related illnesses such... |