President Biden signed legislation that will provide medical benefits from the Veterans Administration to service members exposed to toxic burn pits while deployed overseas in recent conflicts. The President signed the Sargent First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. It embodies some of the goals we strived to achieve in the decades-long burn pit litigation project.
Copyright
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Monday, August 8, 2022
EPA Launches Community Engagement Efforts on New Ethylene Oxide Risk Information
Friday, July 29, 2022
Republican Senators Block Final Passage of The Bipartisan Toxic Exposure Bill That Would Assist Veterans
In a stunning reversal the much-anticipated legislation that would aid veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, and water contamination at Camp Lejune and other war sites was blocked by a unified group of 25 Republican Senators. The widely bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 previously passed the senate 84-14.
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Safety and Health Topics: Heat Stress
Sunday, July 3, 2022
NJ Supreme Court Enhances Workplace Safety and Adopts an Updated Standard for Medical Causation
A divided NJ Supreme Court upheld a verdict for an employee who suffered mesothelioma, a fatal cancer, as a result of a product manufacturer’s failure to warn of the lethal nature of the product in the workplace. The Court acknowledged that even minor exposure to asbestos could cause disease.
Thursday, June 23, 2022
California Supreme Court Agrees to Review COVID Take Home Liability Case
The California Supreme Court has accepted for review the question of whether the workers’ compensation act bars a claim against an employer by a household contact of an employee who contacted COVID at work. The court granted the request, made under California Rules of Court, rule 8.548, that the court will decide questions of California law presented in a matter pending in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Monday, June 20, 2022
The Toxic Legacy of Ford Motor Company
The State of New Jersey is suing Ford Motor Company [FMC] for environmental pollution due to dumping its toxic waste in Ringwood, New Jersey. FMC operated a huge assembly plant in Mahwah, New Jersey, from 1955 through June 1980.
Sunday, June 19, 2022
Is Medicare-For-All a Prescription for Infectious Diseases in the Workplace?
The workers’ compensation system nationally has been challenged over the last two plus years of the COVID Pandemic. The multi-state administered workers’ compensation program is based on a litigious patchwork of state programs with varying degrees of eligibility, procedures, and benefits.
Federal Court: Roundup Subject to US EPA Review
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Environmental Protection Agency must reevaluate glyphosate, a weedkiller used in Roundup. The court determined that the chemical poses a serious health hazard and is likely to cause human cancer.
Friday, June 17, 2022
Burn Pit Benefits: The US Senate Passed The Pact Act
Sunday, June 12, 2022
Central New Jersey facility to pay $273K, take corrective actions to resolve COVID-related respirator violations
OSHA finds employers failed to ensure safe respirator use while testing hundreds daily.
Friday, June 10, 2022
Senator Merkley Chairs Hearing on Asbestos Ban Legislation
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Injury Caused by Defeated Machine Guard Results in OSHA Fine of $159,522
An employee working at Crystal Finishing Systems Inc.’s aluminum extrusion facility in Weston was hospitalized with serious injuries after being struck by a puller machine while trying to unjam a piece of aluminum.
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
EPA Proposes to Ban Ongoing Uses of Asbestos
In a historic step, the US Environmental Protection Administration [EPA] is moving to protect people from cancer risks and is moving to ban asbestos in the US. The EPA has proposed its first-ever risk management rule under the 2016 Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act.
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
President Biden Supports Burn Pits Exposure Benefits for Veterans
Veterans who suffer from medical conditions following exposure to toxic burn pit hazards and chemicals received support from President Biden last night. President's State of the Union Address included strong presidential support for health care benefits and wartime disability compensation. A burn pit is used to burn solid waste in open-air without equipment.
Friday, February 4, 2022
OSHA fines New Jersey company $130,000 for methylene chloride violations
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a New Jersey company $130,000 for methylene chloride violations. Exposure to paint strippers containing methylene chloride remains a severe health concern for workers. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently refused to extend the United States Environmental Protection [EPA] agency's regulations to cover methylene chloride in the commercial setting.
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Innovation is Necessary to Meet the Challenge of COVID in 2022
COVID is the most extensive occupational exposure event in the history of the United States. Workplaces are now primed for a massive wave of compensation claims due to the Omicron variant. A recent study provides a potential opportunity for employers and insurance companies to reduce their risk exposure through early sequencing and treatment proactively.
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Household Contacts can sue an employer for harm caused by COVID
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Parking Lot Cases to be Compensable Under Legislation Sent to the Governor
The NJ Legislature has passed and sent to the Governor legislation that expands workers’ compensation coverage to parking areas provided by an employer.
Sunday, December 19, 2021
OMG, Omicron!
A panel of infectious disease experts and public health specialists of the Veterans Administration who have been involved in the national COVID response discuss strategies to contain the spread of the Omicron variant and stay safe.