Analysis of US EPA's Draft Risk Evaluation for Formaldehyde and Worker Health

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) draft risk evaluation of formaldehyde, released on March 15, 2024, raises significant concerns for worker health and worker compensation risk exposure.

OSHA Fines Paterson NJ Contractor $1Million for Fall Violations

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a New Jersey contractor for again exposing workers to fall hazards, this time while working at a construction site in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

OSHA Fines NJ Container Company $437,860 for Safety and Health Violation

A transportation company faces $437,860 in federal penalties after the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated its Paulsboro, NJ, location and found workplace safety and health hazards.

OSHA Cites Oakland NJ Company with $257,931 in Penalties

A U.S. Department of Labor inspection in June 2023 at an Oakland, NJ manufacturing company — that followed reports of two workers being injured — found employees exposed to dozens of serious safety and health hazards.

Analysis of the OSHA Report on Severe Injury: A Seven-Year Lookback

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published the "Severe Injury Report: A Seven-Year Lookback"  summarizing employer-reported inpatient hospitalizations, amputations, and eye losses from 2015 to 2021. This report provides valuable insights into the prevalence and nature of severe workplace injuries, helping identify areas for improvement in workplace safety.

Toxic Flight Attendant Uniforms Result in a $1.1 Million Verdict

Wearing an employer-designated work uniform shouldn’t result in severe and debilitating occupational exposures. Unfortunately, some American Airlines flight attendants suffered injuries from wearing the flight uniforms prescribed by their employer. The lawsuit that they filed lawsuit resulted in a $1.1 Million award.

Wayne NJ Contractor Fined $180K for Exposing Workers to Energized Power Lines

The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a settlement agreement with a New Jersey building contractor who allowed their subcontractors' employees to work in close proximity to high-voltage power lines at a Paterson work site in 2021 and 2022.

Impacts of a Governmental Shutdown

The effects of a government shutdown on state workers' compensation systems and their integration with Social Security will vary depending on the specific circumstances of each state. However, some general trends can be expected.

Amazon Cited by OSHA for NJ Warehouse Safety Violations

A federal workplace safety investigation has again found workers at an Amazon fulfillment center exposed to ergonomic hazards, this time at a Logan Township facility. 

OSHA Issues Extreme Heat Hazard Alert

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that it's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a heat hazard alert to remind employers of their obligation to protect workers against heat illness or injury in outdoor and indoor workplaces.

President Biden Announces New Actions to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat

Millions of American workers are currently experiencing the effects of extreme heat, which is growing in intensity, frequency, and duration due to the climate crisis. President Biden requests the Department of Labor to issue Hazard Alerts for Heat and take other actions to protect workers from extreme heat. 

New OSHA Reporting Requirements For Injuries and Illnesses

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule requiring certain employers in designated high-hazard industries to submit injury and illness information electronically – that they are already required to keep – to the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

OSHA Cites Main Line Contractor Corp. of Newark NJ for 21 Violations and $333,052 in Penalties

A series of inspections by the U.S. Department of Labor has found a Newark-based construction contractor defying federal safety regulations by exposing employees to more than 20 violations, including potentially deadly falls, at six southern and central New Jersey work sites in early 2023.

Fireworks, pyrotechnics industry employers strongly urged to make worker safety a priority on July 4

Since the founding fathers declared the colonies independent in 1776, cannons, fireworks, and today, extensive pyrotechnic displays have become a July 4th fixture. Unfortunately, so have severe injuries and worse for people in the fireworks and pyrotechnics industry when necessary workplace safety standards are ignored.

United Hospital Supply Corp. faces $498K in penalties after amputation incident

An employee's first day of work at a southern New Jersey manufacturing facility ended tragically when he suffered the amputation of three fingers while operating a press brake without required safety guards, similar to violations cited by federal safety investigators at the facility in 2010 and 2015.

OSHA: America Airlines Fined for Retaliating Against Worker Who Reported Hazardous Fumes in Cabin

Federal safety and health investigators have determined that one of the nation's largest airlines retaliated against flight attendants who reported worker illnesses caused by toxic fumes entering aircraft cabins.

Work-Related Respiratory Disease Rate Soars

Private industry employers reported 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2021, a decrease of 1.8 percent from 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In 2021, the incidence rate of total recordable cases (TRC) in private industry was 2.7 cases per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, unchanged from 2020. These estimates are from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII).

The decline in injury and illness cases was due to a drop in illness cases, with private industry employers reporting 365,200 nonfatal illnesses in 2021, down from 544,600 in 2020, a drop of 32.9 percent. This decrease was driven by a 37.1 percent decrease in employer-reported

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

respiratory illness cases in 2021 at 269,600, down from 428,700 in 2020. (See chart 2.) In 2019, there were 127,200 illness cases and 10,800 respiratory illness cases. Total reported injury cases increased by 6.3 percent to 2.2 million cases in 2021, up from 2.1 million cases in 2020. (See chart 1.)

The rate of injury cases increased in 2021, with private industry employers reporting a rate of 2.3 cases per 100 FTE workers compared to 2.2 cases in 2020. Over the same period, the rate of illness cases decreased from 55.9 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers to 37.7 cases. The decrease was driven by the drop in the respiratory illness rate, which fell from 44.0 cases per 10,000 FTE workers to 27.8 cases.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact in SOII Results

Occupational injuries and illnesses collected in the 2021 SOII include cases of COVID-19 when a worker was infected as a result of performing their work-related duties and met other recordkeeping criteria. COVID-19 is considered a respiratory illness under criteria established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

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Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Long COVID

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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author of NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thomson-Reuters) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thomson-Reuters). For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com  has been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

Paterson NJ Employers Face $518K in OSHA Fines

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued citations to three New Jersey contractors who willfully exposed employees to potentially lethal dangers by allowing them to work near energized power lines at a Paterson worksite.

A Cautionary Note on Citing Unpublished Decisions

Attorneys should be careful about citing unpublished decisions to support their legal arguments. Overzealous advocacy of citing such decisions as an authority is frowned upon by the reviewing tribunals.

Rehabilitation, recognition and research needed for people living with long COVID

While most people who develop COVID-19 fully recover, it is estimated that 10–20% go on to develop what is now known as long COVID. This condition involves a variety of mid- and long-term symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness and lack of mental focus. While the science behind long COVID is still unclear, a new WHO/Europe factsheet collects existing evidence on the condition and its often-debilitating effect on people’s lives.