Workers’ comp system creates headaches for police officer

• Multiple police officers and firefighters have alleged the city of Colorado Springs is holding up the benefits they should receive.
• Workers claim their benefits have gotten tangled in a complicated system but the city has defended its process.
• One police officer didn’t understand Colorado Springs’ workers’ compensation system.
• This policeman was diagnosed twice by doctors in 2023 and again in January of this year for PTSD, anxiety disorder, and extreme depression but did not get benefits.
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Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation provides school grants

• At its February meeting, the Riverside School Board unanimously accepted the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation School Safety and Security Grant and approved purchase orders with Zenith Systems.
• District Treasurer Gary Platko said the purchases will cost $75,777, with $40,000 coming from the grant and the rest from the district’s permanent improvement fund.
• The Board said providing these upgrades further demonstrates Riverside’s commitment to providing a safe and supportive environment for its students, teachers, and staff.
• The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation program is available only to Ohio employers that operate licensed preschool through 12th-grade educational facilities. Eligible employers may receive up to $40,000 for each three-year eligibility cycle.
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Truck washing firm faces fines after gas leak injures workers

• Federal investigators determined a Liberal truck washing company failed to protect workers from hydrogen sulfide gas as they entered over-the-road tanker trailers to clean them out, causing one worker’s fatal injuries and hospitalizing two co-workers.
• OSHA found Red Barn Truck Wash & Service Center LLC failed to evaluate the tanker trailers for hazardous conditions and did not train workers on potential hazards before letting them enter the confined spaces, both violations of OSHA regulations.
• Inspectors found multiple violations of OSHA’s confined space regulations and said Red Barn Truck Wash lacked both respiratory and hearing protection programs and exposed workers to fall hazards of up to nine feet while cleaning the trailers.
• OSHA cited the company for two willful and 24 serious violations and proposed $171,680 in penalties.
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Workers in Wisconsin suffer burns at fitness center

• An investigation was opened after a 23-year-old man was taken to a hospital in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for treatment of burns he received while working on a boiler at the ProHealth West Wood Health & Fitness Center.
• Waukesha Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Fleming said the incident occurred when the man was working on boiler equipment for the building’s heating and ventilation system.
• The boiler released built-up steam, burning the man on his upper body, Fleming said.
• Paramedics treated the man at the scene and he was later transported to St. Mary’s Burn Center and no one else was affected by the incident.
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