Connecticut Personal Injury Blog

Workplace illnesses continue to be a serious threat to the well-being of Connecticut workers. According to a report released on Labor Day by the University of Connecticut, occupational illnesses continue to be a serious and under-reported health issue for workers in the state.

The most recent data come from information collected in 2016. The data shows that 7,500 occupational illnesses were reported for that year, with an estimated 25,000 cases remaining unreported. The most recent data, collected from workers' compensation claims, physician reports to the Occupational Injury and Illness Surveillance System, and other agencies, shows that 17.4 cases per 10,000 workers, which is higher than the national average of 16.4.

Filing a claim for workers' compensation benefits can be relatively simple, unless the claim is rejected by the workers' compensation commissioner or his designee. At that point, the procedure may become legally complicated depending upon the error that the commissioner is alleged to have made.

All appeals are heard and decided by the Compensation Review Board. The exact nature of the review depends upon the errors that the commissioner made ruling on the claim. (Both employees and employers may appeal decisions of the commissioner.)

As previous posts on this blog have discussed, one of the biggest dangers construction workers in Connecticut face is a fall from heights. Oftentimes, workers have to use temporary scaffolding to move from level to level while working on a large building.

While some point might think that it is just in the nature of the job that this relatively flimsy material will from time to time give way and cause worksite falls, in fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, sees the issue differently. They have promulgated specific standards that employers and others at a construction must follow with respect to scaffolding. These standards are there to assure that no worker needlessly falls and severely injures herself.

Why does it seem like some drivers can't share the road with a motorcycle very well?

If the driver of a passenger car or truck almost hits you, the odds are high that he or she probably didn't see you in the first place -- but it wasn't because the driver wasn't looking. He or she really did not see you.