Monthly Archives: March 2014

Kansas woman appeals denial of workers’ compensation claim

Workplace injuries can result in the injured person being unable to continue working for a period of time, and thus also suffer a possible loss of pay. A person in Kansas thus affected can petition for workers’ compensation benefits.

In the case of one woman who claims she suffered shoulder and neck injuries at her workplace, the legal process took an unexpected turn. An administrative law judge determined she had not proved that the neck injury was indeed a workplace injury; the judge did, however, decide that the woman was eligible to be compensated for the shoulder injury, which resulted in a 16 percent permanent partial impairment.

The Kansas Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board later affirmed this decision. The woman believes the decision to be erroneous, and has appealed the verdict to the Kansas Court of Appeals, which was scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case in late March in Leavenworth. The woman also argues that the Board incorrectly computed her average weekly wage.

In order to recover workers’ compensation benefits an injured worker does not have to prove any negligence or fault on behalf of the employer. It is, however, necessary that the injury should have occurred while the employee was in the course and scope of their employment. While worker’s compensation wage loss benefits are less than 100% of the lost wages, they do provide significant relief. Medical and disability benefits are also recoverable. An experienced workers’ compensation attorney can help an injured worker fight for all the benefits to which they are legally entitled.

Source: LeavenworthTimes.com, “Court of Appeals to hear arguments in Leavenworth,”, March 12, 2014

Firefighter injured battling fire in a house in Kansas

In Kansas, work-related injuries have become quite common. For people whose jobs are risky, such as firefighters, construction workers or workmen engaged in mining industries, incidents of workplace injury are often reported.

Sometimes, a workplace injury leads to major accidents. Injuries and accidents mean huge expenses, loss of a valuable resource and, often, huge medical bills. Who is responsible for workers’ injuries? Who is going to pay all these expenses? These are the questions that the injured victim and the family of the injured person often ask.

In a recent incident in Kansas, a firefighter injured himself after falling down the stairs while battling an early morning house fire. At around 2:15 a.m., the fire was reported and the crew of firefighters rushed to the home. However, there was nobody inside the house. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. It caused $60,000 worth of damage.

Organizations should try to provide a safe working environment for the employees. An injury to an employee results in huge loss of resources. Loss of resources is a huge loss of money. Sometimes, employers neglect the safety of the workers in this risky business. According to a U.S. report, every day, 12 people go to work and never return. The family and friends suffer a huge emotional loss as well as financial loss.

If people find themselves in a similar situation, they can claim compensation if the injury occurred in the workplace Workers compensation provides wage benefits and medical benefits to people who have been injured in the workplace. This compensation can help employees as they get back on their feet following a workplace accident.

Source: The Kansas City Star, “Firefighter injured battling Kansas City, Kan., house fire,” Mar. 7, 2014

Measures needed to reduce workplace accidents

Companies in Kansas and every other state are supposed to value their employees so highly that they ensure their safety on the job. Employees are assets for any organization, and if they are injured in the workplace, the company loses.

Unfortunately, workplace accidents have now reached such high levels in some industries, such as oil and gas drilling, that regional news organizations are beginning to investigate not only how and why these industries are failing but also why government at all levels is failing to enforce the very standards they established.

Who is responsible for these accidents? According to one recent investigation, the federal government has failed to implement new safety standards and procedures for modern onshore drilling processes. As a result, the accident rate has increased substantially and the number of workers who are dying continues to increase.

According to the investigation, there were 60 percent more accidents in onshore oil and gas workplaces in 2012 than in 2011. The newspaper reported that 2012 saw 79 people losing limbs, 92 workers suffering burns, 82 people crushed and 675 people suffering broken bones in onshore occupations. By comparison, offshore operations have become far safer the last few years, partly because federal regulations were enacted in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster that killed 11 workers.

Employers are responsible for protecting their employees. Although many workplace accidents are minor, major accidents can lead to serious injuries and deaths. Any employee who thinks an employer is at fault for an accident injury should be sure to get the best information on the options to seek compensation that can cover medical bills and lost wages.

Source: Minneapolis StarTribune, “Houston Chronicle examination of Texas oil field safety finds failures, deaths, injury,” Feb. 23, 2014

Workplace injuries major health concern among employees

In Kansas City, if a person suffers a workplace injury, the state workers’ compensation system takes care of all of the expenses. The problem is that workplace injuries are not uncommon. Sometimes, they can lead to serious consequences and sometimes the injuries can even lead to brain injury and death. It can also be difficult to find the responsible party in the event of such a tragedy.

According to recent statistics, employers from the U.S. pay $1 billion each week for the cost of direct workers compensation. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration, the problem of repetitive motion injury is growing and this results in about 23 days of work absence for each incident.

The most common form of injury experienced by janitors and custodial workers is a shoulder injury. To reduce work-related injuries, companies should provide physical therapy and occupational health programs to employees. It is very important to prevent injuries by educating employees and modifying their workplace environment.

Workers compensation provides benefits for those who have suffered work-related injuries. It covers medical and wage benefits. An employee can seek benefits for various injuries caused by toxic materials, work-related accidents, and repetitive stress injuries.

If employees are injured in a workplace in Kansas, or any other state because of negligence, they may request the advice from an experienced attorney and seek compensation for their injury in the form of medical expenses and lost wages. A professional attorney may help an injured worker gain better insight into any work-related injury and offer advice on what the next steps for the injured employee should be.

Source: News Medical, “BU faculty develops physical therapy intervention to minimize workplace injury, reduce costs,” Feb. 25, 2014