Chicago Workers' Compensation Attorney Blog

The Illinois construction accident that claimed the life of an employee in a Christmas Day incident on the campus of Illinois State University was avoidable, the Pantagraph reported.

Our Illinois workers' compensation lawyers work with employees who have been injured in construction accidents. In some cases, a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit may be filed in conjunction with a work accident claim.

The ruling by a McLean County coroner's jury involved the death of a 57-year-old employee of Bloomington's Stark Excavating. The company declined to comment. The employee was killed after a large piece of a concrete pillar facade fell on the excavator he was operating. The employee and his crew had arrived to clear the broken pillar pieces, which weighed thousands of pounds each.

The coroner's jury foreman said the jury felt the crushing death was accidental. But they wanted the company to create a safety inspection team and to develop better training. Jurors heard from a number of witnesses and reviewed statements and reports, including the report from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The company's risk-management director said the company had no formal inspection team but that workers inspected equipment prior to each job; much of the discussion had centered around a nylon sling that broke when workers attempted to lift at 8,780-pound piece of pillar. He said the team working on Christmas day consisted of several veterans with decades of experience.

OSHA fined the company $28,000 in the wake of the accident.

Continue reading " Christmas Day Illinois construction accident could have been prevented " »

The jobless rate in Chicago fell in June, the first year-over-year decline in more than three years, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The rate dropped from 10.9 percent to 10.6 percent. However, the month-over-month figure shows the rate rose from 10.4 percent, representing a monthly loss of 61,900 jobs.

The Great Recession has caused great upheaval in the workplace. Layoffs frequently mean that remaining employees are doing more with less and may be at greater risk of suffering a Chicago work accident. Likewise, new employees are entitled to safety training and may be at increased risk of being injured on the job. Sometimes a new employee, or an employee laboring under the constant threat of layoffs or downsizing, may be reluctant to report a work injury. Our Chicago workers' compensation attorneys remind employees that properly reporting a work injury is critical to protecting your rights and the financial well-being of you and your family.

There are laws in place to protect employees from being fired or otherwise retaliated against for reporting a work injury or unsafe working conditions. The long-term risks of not reporting a work injury are too great to sacrifice for short-term job security. Those who fail to properly document a work injury may be unable to collect should future medical complications force time away from work or result in a disability.

The workplace will remain more volatile than usual as the economy moves toward recovery.

“Any economic rebound following the most profound national recession in decades will include slight up-and-down movements in the unemployment rate as well as the number of jobs created," said Illinois Employment Security Director Maureen O'Donnell.

It is more critical than every that employees protect their rights when injured on the job in Illinois.

Continue reading " Recovering economy leaves employees at high risk for Chicago work injury " »

An employee has died in an Illinois mining accident at the troubled Peabody Energy Mine in southern Illinois, the Associated Press reported.

Our Illinois work injury lawyers just reported about ongoing problems at the mine. Illinois has 19 operating coal mines and substantial mining operations across the southern portion of the state. We wrote recently on our Chicago Workers' Compensation Attorney Blog that the two largest mining disasters to ever occur in the U.S. both happened in Illinois in the 1940s.

In this accident, an employee was struck by a piece of heavy equipment while working underground at Peabody Energy's Willow Lake mine, according to the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. Federal regulators consider Willow Lakes a problem mine; in June, the agency was granted an expedited hearing before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission. Peabody officials termed that move "publicity seeking" on the part of the federal government.

The mine has been fined $230,000 for violations termed "significant and substantial" since late 2008, meaning the government believes serious injury or death could result from the alleged safety infractions. Cited problems, according to the government, include failure to provide adequate protection from cave-ins, and excessive accumulation of combustible materials.

The Willow Lakes facility is large by U.S. standards and employs about 450 people. It produces 3.4 million tons of coal annually.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the worker was killed in an underground incident involving a shuttle car. The mine is closed while state and federal authorities conduct a full investigation.

Peabody officials claim they have taken aggressive steps to improve safety at the mine, including an all-day training session to review safety practices among management, employees and federal mine-safety representatives.

Continue reading " Illinois work accident claims life of employee at troubled coal mine " »

A walkout staged by workers on the Eisenhower Expressway led to headaches for motorists over the Fourth of July weekend, as drivers were left to deal with half-paved roads and unfinished upgrades, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Such work stoppages can also increase the risk of a Chicago work injury as workers return to even tighter deadlines and demanding bosses. Millions in bonuses are frequently on the line in large scale construction projects for work completed early or on time. And companies can face millions in fines if a job falls behind schedule.

Health care is reportedly the main issue between the companies and the Chicago Laborers District Council and Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers. As we all know, health care and its associated costs are a major issue in the workplace these days. In this instance, the union apparently felt a work stoppage was necessary to increase their leverage at the bargaining table.

Meanwhile, dozens of construction projects in the Chicago area are in limbo, including a 32-story building at Roosevelt University and a main roadway in Oak Park.

Some companies may also attempt to use a workers' absence against an employee who has filed an Illinois workers' compensation claim.

Construction workers who are injured on the job should always consult with a Chicago injury lawyer to protect their rights. Filing a claim and complying with reporting requirements is critical, even in cases where an employee does not believe he or she is seriously injured. Medical complications car arise months, or even years, after a work injury and failure to comply with reporting and other requirements can leave an employee unable to collect compensation for lost wages and medical expenses. An employee who suffers serious complications from an unreported work injury may also be unable to properly apply for and collect disability benefits in Illinois.

Continue reading " Striking works can face increased risk of Chicago work accidents when returning to the job " »