Extra training goes a long way in Washington State
- Apprenticeship programs often result in safer workers, according to a study by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.
- The study shows that workers’ compensation claim rates were 31% lower for journey-level plumbers who had apprenticeship training compared to those without.
- There is record involvement, with 22,000 workers currently participating in apprenticeships across about 200 registered programs in the state.
- While construction trades such as carpenter, ironworker, and electrician remain the most active participants, there are growing programs in the high-tech, aerospace, and medical assistant fields
Retaliatory bill introduced in New York
- Certain lawmakers in New York want to bar employers from retaliating against workers who file for workers’ compensation.
- The proposal — Senate Bill 1488 — prohibits businesses from engaging in retaliation if workers file compensation claims following work-related injuries.
- Employers found to be in violation face fines between $500 and $2,000 if the law is passed.
- The bill is now with the Senate Labor Committee.
Mine Worker Airlifted to Hospital
- A worker at the Rustic Ridge mine in Donegal, Pennsylvania, suffered an injury after his arm became trapped in a mining machine.
- Emergency crews were called to the mine on County Line Road shortly after 9 p.m. for a report that a 22-year-old worker’s arm was trapped in a machine roughly a mile underground.
- The man was flown to UPMC Presbyterian for treatment, according to safety officials.
- His condition was not available.
Attorney Hurt in Bike Accident Cannot Amend Settlement
- Attorney Melvin Schwechter was paralyzed after a biking accident in New York.
- He filed a workers’ compensation claim, which was denied by a judge who ruled that Schwechter was not owed benefits because the accident “did not arise out of the work he completed for the firm.
- Schwechter later reached a deal with his firm, BakerHostetler, that would pay out a lump sum of $1.05 million for “medical expenses arising out of the accident.”
- Schwechter attempted to appeal the settlement decision, claiming that his disability condition had changed within the year, but was denied.