Understanding the heat-related illnesses that can affect workers

May 24 2017

While most view the Memorial Day holiday weekend as a time for both remembrance and relaxation, it’s important not to forget that it also serves as the unofficial start of summer, meaning it won’t be long until the temperature starts to rise. The reality of warmer temperatures and sunny skies is understandably a welcome proposition to those of us who live in colder winter climates. However, with this return to 80- and 90-plus degree days comes certain dangers, especially to those men and women who must work outside from oil, gas and refinery personnel to builders, landscapers and farm workers….

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Will filing a workers’ comp claim hurt my employer?

May 24 2017

Maybe your boss is your friend, or you work for a mom and pop shop. Maybe you happen to like your employer. Or maybe you are just a nice person. In any case, if you are worried that you will harm your employer by bringing a workers’ compensation, rest assured: You won’t. To operate a company in Colorado, your employer must carry workers’ comp insurance. Unless your employer is breaking the law and doesn’t have coverage, your claim will be against its insurance company, not the employer. The workers’ compensation system protects employers, too. The workers’ compensations system was created,…

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Work comp laws protect guest workers, a vital part of Colorado’s agricultural industry

May 18 2017

As guest workers begin to come back to Eastern Colorado to help our farmers, it’s a good time for a reminder: temporary and seasonal agricultural workers are eligible for workers’ compensation. This is true even if they are here on a temporary H-2A classification or are undocumented. “We need guest workers” So goes the plea of many Colorado farmers who face a labor shortage. Farmers have trouble competing with the wages of similar labor-intensive industries such as the construction industry. That means fewer applicants, fewer hires and longer hours. Farm owners often look to fill the gaps in their workforces by…

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Can you reopen a work comp claim?

May 18 2017

When a worker suffers an injury that leaves them completely disabled for a short period, he or she can look to temporary total disability benefits to help alleviate some of the inevitable financial hardship. Similarly, when an injured worker is only able to perform modified duties with reduced hours or reduced wages, he or she can look to temporary partial disability benefits. As encouraging as this is, questions naturally arise as to what happens if an injured worker discovers that they will require additional temporary disability benefits and/or medical care after their claim has been effectively closed. Can I reopen…

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Decision in Case: Pueblo County, CO and County Technical Services, Inc. v. Industrial Claim Appeals Office

May 18 2017

Today, the Colorado Court of Appeals issued a decision in the case of Pueblo County, CO and County Technical Services, Inc. v. Industrial Claim Appeals Office; W.C. No. 4-911-673 upholding a lower court’s decision that an injury sustained while attending a union meeting is compensable under the Colorado Workers’ Compensation Act. The decision announces a significant change in CO law. Previously, injuries sustained while employees attended Union meetings were not compensable. Union activities were considered solely for the benefit of the Employee and as such not considered part of the work contract. Thus, injuries sustained in attending Union meetings were…

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Will bill calling for greater discretion in work comp fines pass?

May 09 2017

Under Colorado law, those businesses found to be lacking the necessary workers’ compensation coverage for the first time face fines of up to $250 per day, with this amount jumping to between $250 to $500 per day for repeat offenders. While this might not seem like much, the reality is that the balance of the fines can get very high, very quickly — sometimes with the offending outfit unaware that they have done anything wrong and, once discovered, unable to do anything about it.  To illustrate, consider the experience of a Denver-based motel operator fined for failing to carry work…

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Landscape workers, take note and stay safe: Deaths on the rise

May 05 2017

A recent OSHA news release shows that landscape workers and others in roles related to outdoor work and maintenance are increasingly at risk of injury or death while on the job. OSHA found that fatalities have been steadily rising in this industry since 2012, and that in some states the fatality rate has almost tripled. While the study mentioned in the OSHA news release concerns a different part of the country (four states in the southeast United States), most of the states referenced in the data are readily comparable to Colorado based on the number of workers in this industry…

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Report finds high rate of serious work injuries in poultry industry

May 02 2017

When most people walk through the front door after a long day at work or school, there’s one question they will inevitably ask their spouse, partner, parent, family member or roommate: What’s for dinner? While there are innumerable answers to this timeless inquiry, there’s a very good chance that the person to whom it is directed will answer with an entrée that includes chicken as a primary ingredient. If you don’t believe it, consider that statistics from Purdue University reveal that an astounding 8 billion chickens are consumed here in the U.S. every year. While most of us likely don’t…

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CSU study: Is cannabis work dangerous?

May 02 2017

The massive growth of the cannabis industry in Colorado has led to the creation of cannabis-related jobs throughout the state. But how safe are these jobs? Due to the recent rise of the industry, data about the health and safety of workers in cannabis-related jobs has been hard to come by. That started to change last month, when researchers at Colorado State University (CSU) and their colleagues at the Colorado School of Public Health released the first in-depth report about the safety and wellbeing of workers in the cannabis industry. Titled “Work and Well-Being in the Colorado Cannabis Industry,” the…

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Have You Been Diagnosed With CRPS Or RSD?

May 01 2017

Even the most dedicated, highly trained physicians cannot cure serious medical conditions that have unknown origins in the body. Although the neurological disease most often called Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) has long been recognized and acknowledged as legitimate in the medical community, its specific causes are still unknown and available treatments are still largely experimental. Turn To Attorneys Who Recognize The Complexity Of Nerve Disorders You may have suffered a seemingly minor injury to a hand, foot, finger or toe on the job and then failed to recover as expected. People suffering with CRPS — sometimes referred to as…

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