Amazon has changed how Americans shop. When people order online, they now expect their deliveries to be fast – overnight, or two days at the longest. While Amazon’s logistics infrastructure is formidable, it comes with a hidden cost. Their drivers are under tremendous...
Year: 2019
Pennsylvania pedestrian deaths rising sharply
It’s easy to assume that roads are getting safer. After all, modern cars have safety features that earlier cars lacked. Unfortunately, the opposite trend is at work for pedestrians. Pedestrian fatalities are at their highest levels in 30 years and Pennsylvania is...
Ototoxicity – Hearing loss in the workplace
Many people automatically equate a workers’ compensation claim with a single accident that occurred at work such as an industrial crush injury or being struck by falling debris. Unfortunately, while these accidents can be serious, they are only the tip of the...
Are scars eligible for workers’ comp?
If you work in construction, you know the risks involved. Miter boxes, drills, cranes and nail guns are the tools of the trade, each one of them powerful enough to cause serious damage if you’re not careful. However, even the most careful worker in the world can be at...
Emotional support…alligators?
The use of emotional support animals has increased dramatically in recent years, and with good reason. Many studies have shown that animals have a beneficial effect for people suffering from mental health conditions, such as depression, PTSD and others. While most of...
Beware: Opioids might replace one type of pain with another
Opioids have become an epidemic nationwide, affecting the lives of thousands of injured workers and their families. The Workers' Compensation Research Institute looked at opioid use in 21 states. They found that Pennsylvania and New York had the most injured workers...
New questions about vaping safety as users get sick
Vaping pens and e-cigarettes have obvious appeal. They’re sleek, compact and they have fewer associated risks than cigarettes. However, lower risk doesn’t mean risk-free. Mysterious vaping-related illness have started cropping up throughout the country, which has...
How will autonomous cars handle complex hypotheticals?
A decade ago, the idea of a self-driving car only existed in the realm of science fiction movies and novels. Now, however, technology, artificial intelligence and machine learning have advanced to the degree that nearly all new cars have a host of autonomous safety...
4 types of robot-related work accidents
The growing proliferation of robots in the workplace has sparked both scholarly concern and idle chatter around the breakroom. One fact that is unassailable, however, is that more and more job tasks are being fitted for automation. While many workers might worry about...
5 tips to stay safe in a construction zone
Pennsylvania residents often joke that there are only two seasons – winter and road construction. With the expanding size and scope of construction projects, every year they tend to encroach further and further into the winter months. Projects start earlier in the...