Most dangerous job in Colorado?

Aug 28 2014

If someone asked you to name the most dangerous jobs in Colorado, you might well think of construction, police work and firefighting. However, some of the toughest jobs in the state can be found about an hour’s drive south of Denver in Colorado Springs. That’s where the Spring Creek Youth Center is located. Despite its benign-sounding name, the 80-bed facility is home to youths ages 10 to 20 who are serving time for crimes committed, or are in custody waiting for criminal charges to be resolved. Unfortunately, some of those housed at the state facility assault staffers, hitting and biting…

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Denver-area construction worker injured by hit-and-run driver

Aug 20 2014

There’s no doubt that the soundtrack to Denver summers includes melodies hammered out by road construction crews as they pave, tear up, expand and lay down our ever-growing web of highways. Summertime construction slows commutes and frustrates drivers, making work zones dangerous places for the men and women laboring there. One worker in an Aurora construction zone was recently struck by a female hit-and-run driver.  “She hit the gas again and she hit me at the knees for the second time and I landed on the hood,” the construction worker said. The incident left her with serious injuries to her…

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Treasury Secretary proposes SSDI funding fix

Jul 31 2014

As Colorado voters know, the mid-term election is fast approaching. In the days leading to November, we can expect the intensity of debates over a wide variety of issues to heat up and the volume and frequency of TV ads to increase. One of the issues that might move into the hot lights by election day is the question of how the nation will solve a budget shortfall due to hit Social Security Disability in 2016. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew recently offered a possible solution to the problem when he said Congress should “reallocate” payroll tax revenues to the SSDI…

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Study: injured workers who fear for jobs slower to return to work

Jul 25 2014

A number of things race through a person’s mind after they suffer a workplace injury. They wonder how serious the injury is, how long they might miss work and whether they will qualify for medical and financial assistance available from Colorado workers’ compensation insurance. According to a recent report, injured workers often worry about being fired after their injury. The study was recently conducted by the Workers Compensation Research Institute.   What the study found was that workers who were worried that they would be fired as a result of their injuries returned to their jobs later than others. On…

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OSHA forced to focus on work accident inquiries, not prevention

Jul 17 2014

When someone is injured on the job, in many cases people will look for a person to blame. Perhaps it was the injured person who caused the workplace accident, or maybe it was the employer at fault or maybe it was a safety regulation failure. Of course it’s important to understand why accidents happen and to know if we can improve the workplace in order to prevent future injuries. But as far as Colorado workers’ compensation benefits are concerned, it doesn’t matter who is at fault for the injury. If it happened at work, the employee should be covered by…

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Employers evading obligations in work accidents large and small

Jul 10 2014

As many of our Denver readers know, just seven miles northeast of the city sits an oil refinery. Some of our older readers might recall the Commerce City oil refinery blast of 1978 that killed several workers and left others with serious injuries. Four years ago, a similarly deadly explosion rocked an oil refinery in a town more than a thousand miles further from us: Anacortes, Washington. Seven people died in that horrific workplace accident. A recent National Public Radio report questions “whether anyone will be held accountable for the human cost” of the Tesoro gasoline made there. Unfortunately, there…

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SSDI: it’s not quick or easy, but can be crucial

Jul 03 2014

The head of a nonprofit human services organization recently penned an article on what to do after a serious injury or illness prevents a person from working. For many people in that situation, there are not only the serious medical issues to deal with, but also the questions of how to pay everyday bills that keep a roof over their head and food on their table. For needed financial assistance, many turn to the federal government’s most useful program for workers who have a disability. However, as the writer of the article notes, “unfortunately, there’s nothing quick and easy about…

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OSHA: Denver residential roofing companies not protecting workers

Jun 26 2014

One of the best things about summer in Denver is that residents can see the roofs of their houses again. The snow is gone and the sun is shining. One of the worst things about summer in Colorado is that residents can see the roofs of their houses again and spot problems that need to be addressed ASAP by a roofing company. However, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration warns consumers that roofing companies are “being cited in record numbers for failing to keep workers safe by providing necessary fall prevention equipment and training.” As we have noted in our…

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Can diet diminish two diseases at once?

Jun 21 2014

As many people in Denver know, the list of diseases that can leave a person unable to work is a long one. Among the most common medical conditions that cause disabilities preventing a person from working are severe cases of diabetes and heart disease. Unfortunately, the two conditions often travel together. The 29 million Americans suffering from diabetes are among those with greater risks for developing cardiovascular disease. In fact, the American Heart Association says cardiovascular disease and stroke is the leading cause of death among those with Type 2 diabetes. The good news is that new research shows dietary…

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Construction workers killed in 80-foot plunge from crane

Jun 11 2014

Workers in the Denver construction business were undoubtedly saddened by the news of the deadly fall that took the lives of two colleagues northeast of San Francisco. The men were suspended on a platform held in the air by a crane when they plunged 80 feet. The two men, 25 years old and 49 years old, were pronounced dead at the scene of the bridge construction accident. The state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the tragic incident. The accident happened shortly before 7 a.m. The owner of the construction firm for which the pair worked said the cable…

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