More than $500,000 to two injured workers

May 22 2014

The Denver office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration earlier this week announced that it had ordered Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway to pay more than $500,000 to two former workers. The Texas railroad company must also rehire the pair, pay back wages, attorney fees and compensatory damages, OSHA said. The firm fired the workers in 2010 and 2011 after they reported workplace injuries that occurred at a company terminal. The Denver regional OSHA administrator was blunt: “An employer cannot retaliate against employees who report an injury.” Far too often, workers fear that their supervisor or employer will cut…

Continue Reading

CDC: nearly half of adults with disabilities physically inactive

May 13 2014

Procrastination is something many of us in the Denver area struggle with at times. We put off until tomorrow the things we know we should do today. One of the things many people put off is getting exercise. We know we should exercise regularly, but we find reasons for pushing physical activity off until tomorrow, and then we procrastinate again the next day and the next. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that nearly half of all adults with disabilities are not getting any aerobic exercise. The findings are disturbing, they said, because adults with disabilities…

Continue Reading

Can traumatic brain injury recovery be a matter of degrees?

May 07 2014

One of the benefits of a college degree is that you’re more likely to earn a higher income while you’re working. But according to a new study, a college degree can help you even if you’re prevented from working by a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Research shows that people with college degrees are more likely to recover from TBI without disability than those who don’t pursue higher education at institutions such as the University of Colorado at Denver.  The study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Neurology included observations of 769 people who had sustained traumatic brain…

Continue Reading

Fatal construction injuries rise 9 percent

May 02 2014

The men and women who erect Denver housing, office buildings, bridges and shopping centers know that the construction business is a dangerous one. Many construction workers regularly risk serious injury and worse as part of their days on job sites. Confirmation of those hazards comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which recently released its report on fatal work-related injuries for 2012. A total of 806 fatal injuries occurred in the construction industry that year, up 9 percent from 2011.  Across all lines of work in all industries, there were 4,628 workplace fatalities, which means there were 3.4 work-related deaths…

Continue Reading

Colorado lawmaker proposes adding PTSD to workplace injury list

Apr 25 2014

The National Institute of Mental Health says post-traumatic stress disorder can develop in some people who live through “a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm.” As you know, Denver police can often find themselves in situations in which they are threatened with violence and injury, as they try to keep the rest of us safe. Now a Colorado lawmaker is proposing to add PTSD to the list of workplace injuries for police officers in the state. Rep. Jonathan Singer says he and supporters of the bill are “just trying to put fairness in the…

Continue Reading

Man sues for being fired shortly after filing workers’ comp claim

Apr 15 2014

Let’s say that you have been working for the same company in Denver for a long time, and one day you are injured on the job. The injury is severe enough that it hampers your ability to work for an extended period, during which time you need some financial help because, well, you can’t work. So you file a workers’ compensation claim and you expect that everything will be worked out appropriately, and soon. But just a few days later, you are informed by your employer that you have been fired. You’re left stunned and angry, and you can’t help…

Continue Reading

Lower back pain a prominent cause of work disability

Apr 09 2014

Many workers have felt it: that twinge in the lower back, one that lets you know that you’re in for a world of hurt over the next few days. That lower back pain can be absolutely brutal, let alone debilitating. But one thing that you may not know about lower back pain is that it isn’t just a common problem that afflicts people every once in a while. Actually, back pain is the top cause for work disability in the world. According to National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, roughly $50 billion is spent every year by Americans to…

Continue Reading

Fatal cell tower collapse continues ‘disturbing trend’

Apr 02 2014

Although the specific work accident in this story didn’t happen in Denver or even the state of Colorado, it points to a wider issue that affects many workers all across the country. Everyone enjoys their speedy wireless service on their smartphones, right? Well, have you ever stopped to think about what it takes to get you that service? Thousands of workers are constantly working to ensure that cell towers are up and operational, and then they have to perform routine maintenance and upgrades on the towers so that you service can go from 3G to 4G, and so on down…

Continue Reading

Gas line punctured after Colorado Springs project goes awry

Mar 29 2014

A construction project that was meant to help install a future cable line under a street in Colorado Springs led to a serious, though injury free, accident recently. The construction crew that was working the project dug up the street and punctured a gas line, and Colorado Springs Utilities says the “area was clearly marked for underground lines.” The source article doesn’t clarify whether that was in defense of the construction project or if it was an indicator that they made a mistake. In any case, this story highlights two things: the incredible danger that is present at any construction…

Continue Reading

Shale oil project to reach into western Colorado

Mar 19 2014

As many Colorado residents are aware, shale oil is a prominent resource in the state. Colorado residents may also be aware of the controversy surrounding the process of obtaining shale oil. The process, called “hydraulic fracturing” or “fracking,” has been criticized in recent years. There may be renewed efforts on that front given a recent announcement by Exxon Mobil, which will push into western Colorado to try and obtain more shale oil. The project will create a lot of opportunities for employees. The project will be done in phases as Exxon Mobil attempts to acquire a projected 600 million barrels…

Continue Reading