Much-anticipated federal report outlines deadliest work hazards of 2015

Jan 05 2017

Now that 2016 is officially in the rearview mirror, we will more than likely start to see a steady stream of retrospective reports from media outlets across the nation discussing everything from films and music to world events and politics. It’s important to note that this tendency toward retrospection at this time of the year is not confined to the popular media. Indeed, this is the time of the year that both state and federal agencies start to release reports summarizing their 12-month findings on a host of important topics. By way of example, consider the recent release of the…

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Neck & Back Injuries

Jan 01 2017

Workers in many occupations are at daily risk for a serious back injury or neck injury. Often, when an employee “pulls something” or feels sudden pain or weakness while performing work, the injury requires many weeks or months of treatment, rest and rehabilitation. When the diagnosis is a herniated disk, traumatic cervical injury, severe nerve impingement or another disabling condition, surgery may be necessary – and continuing to work may be impossible. Take Steps To Protect Your Claim And Benefits If you were injured on your job in Denver or anywhere in Colorado and need help securing the workers’ compensation…

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Nurses in Danger: A Series

Dec 28 2016

Megan, a nurse at a Denver area hospital, started her day just like any other. She got to work, checked out the patient list and the notes from the nurses on the previous shift, and was immediately pulled into helping a patient (Mr. Smith). Mr. Smith was an older man who had been on Megan’s floor for a few days, and he was perfectly pleasant. The only problem was that he was classified as bariatric (weighing approximately 350 pounds), so moving him was quite difficult. Although the hospital had started to invest in equipment such as hoyers and standers, they…

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5 safety tips for chaining up in Colorado

Dec 21 2016

Winter driving in Colorado comes with a whole set of new challenges for commercial vehicle drivers. Roads are already getting slippery and clogged with snow. As most Colorado commercial drivers know, the state has chain laws that come into effect starting September 1st. The result of ignoring chain laws will not only cost you a big fine but could land you in a ditch. Colorado chain laws apply to all commercial vehicles that weigh 26,001 lbs or more. If you want to skip the $500 to $1000 fine, then make sure to chain up your tires. Another motivation is to prevent accidents….

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Postmates ordered to pay workers’ comp premiums for Washington couriers

Dec 21 2016

If you’re part of the gig economy, you know that classification matters. There’s a world of difference between independent contractors and employees in everything from taxes to overtime to workers’ compensation coverage. Driving and delivery companies such as Uber have typically argued that their drivers are not employees, although Uber has faced multiple class action lawsuits arguing that the company is misclassifying its drivers as contractors. A delivery startup company is now getting hit from another direction. The Washington Department of Labor & Industries recently audited Postmates and found the company needed to be paying workers’ comp premiums for its…

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Will there soon be an app for preventing workplace injuries?

Dec 16 2016

Over the course of the last decade, we’ve seen the apps on our smartphones become increasingly sophisticated, capable of performing a host of tasks that we would have once thought impossible. What makes this development even more remarkable is that as the technology for smartphone apps has advanced, it has, for the most part, remained very user-friendly. Interestingly enough, a group of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are currently working on the development of a complex app that they hope will someday help employers easily reduce the number of repetitive motion injuries among factory workers.  The current method for assessing…

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What if you slip on ice while at work?

Dec 15 2016

If you’ve ever watched a funny YouTube video of people slipping and falling on ice, you probably laughed a lot at the time. But when it happens to you, it’s not all that funny. You may try to take it in stride and go on with the rest of your day, but what if the fall is serious enough to land you in urgent care or the emergency room? And what if it happens at work? Winter in Colorado means dealing with slippery, icy conditions on a regular basis. Most workplaces have excellent snow removal policies, but that doesn’t mean…

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Just how large has the SSA’s disability backlog grown?

Dec 08 2016

Those who have seen both their initial application for disability benefits and their subsequent appeal denied can derive comfort from the fact that there are still several levels of appellate review through which they can seek these much-needed funds. Indeed, the next level of review enables them to request a hearing before an administrative law judge with the Social Security Administration, who will examine the medical records and other evidence beforehand, question claimants and experts at the proceeding, and render a final decision. While this seems like a straightforward process that should result in a relatively small case backlog, agency…

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Attorneys who understand the complex interplay of work comp and personal injury

Nov 30 2016

As we make our way on the roads and highways here in Denver and across the Front Range, we like to imagine that our fellow motorists are practicing safe driving, meaning they are keeping their attention firmly on the road, obeying the posted speed limit and abiding by all traffic laws. While it would be nice if this were the case, the reality is that our fellow motorists are often distracted, speeding or just plain negligent behind the wheel, frequently causing crashes that leave victims with serious injuries. When a person finds themselves involved in an accident caused by another…

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Am I eligible for temporary disability benefits? – IV

Nov 26 2016

As we’ve discussed in a series on ongoing posts, Colorado workers who miss more than three workdays or three shifts are entitled to wage replacement, or, as it is otherwise known, temporary disability benefits under state law. In the preceding posts, we’ve been discussing temporary total disability benefits, which are available to those workers left completely disabled for a relatively short amount of time. In today’s post, we’ll continue this discussion of temporary disability benefits, but shift the focus to what are known as temporary partial disability — or TPD — benefits. What are TPD benefits? A worker is eligible…

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