Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Top Ten OSHA Violations in Mississippi
The number of fatal job injuries has increased significantly since 2017. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration is tasked with reducing the number of workplace injuries and fatalities. Unfortunately, this tiny federal agency can only do so much. Frequently, it only issues a citation in response to a serious injury or fatal accident. Nevertheless,… Read More »
Workplace Head Injuries in Louisiana: A Closer Look
Since 2006, the number of head injury victims in Louisiana has increased 53 percent. Other workplace injuries, such as broken bones, usually heal, given sufficient time and proper treatment. But head injuries are always permanent. Once brain cells die, they never regenerate. The good news is that brain injuries are usually treatable. A combination… Read More »
Does Workers’ Compensation Pay Lost Wages in Louisiana?
Payment for lost wages was one of the Grand Bargain’s cornerstones. In this early 1900s agreement, injured workers agreed to give up their right to sue in court if management provided a no-fault insurance system. But this financial pie is shrinking. In fact, management’s contributions to the lost wages repayment fund recently hit a… Read More »
What Medical Bills Does Workers’ Compensation Cover?
Doctor bills and other medical expenses stabilized during the Great Recession, but they are on the rise again. Most experts predict that medical inflation will be twice the overall inflation rate for the foreseeable future. Further complicating matters, many health insurance companies do not pay work injury-related medical bills. In Mississippi, workers’ compensation takes… Read More »
Top Five Occupational Diseases in Mississippi
Occupational diseases are job-related illnesses which develop slowly over time. That time period could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few decades. Even if the victim had a pre-existing or non-work-related condition which contributed to the occupational disease, full compensation is usually available. The victim must simply show that the pre-existing or… Read More »
What to Expect in a Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Claim
Once upon a time, the workers’ compensation system was a streamlined way for job injury victims to obtain compensation for their lost wages and payment for their medical bills. But those days are over. Today, many Louisiana job injury victims wait up to six months for an appeal hearing date. Additionally, benefits payments in… Read More »
Should I Always File a Comp Claim If I’m Injured at Work?
In almost all cases, the answer is “yes.” Typically, victims can voluntarily withdraw their claims later, if their attorneys advise them to do so. Additionally, it is illegal to discriminate against people who file workers’ compensation claims. If your employer retaliates against you or takes other adverse action, your employer is in hot water…. Read More »
Does Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Cover Knee, Shoulder, and Other Joint Injuries?
Almost everyone who works for a living must bend, stoop, kneel, reach, and move in other unnatural ways. Over time, these movements could cause a Repetitive Strain Injury. Contrary to popular myth, RSIs are not limited to warehouse and other blue-collar workers. All workers are potential victims. In fact, the first reported RSI cases… Read More »
Why Should Landscaping Workers Be Concerned About Benzo[a]pyrene?
Lawn mowers, edgers, leaf blowers, and other lawn and garden equipment emit a significant amount of benzo[a]pyrene particles. The mixture of organic material, such as lawn clippings, and extreme heat, like a gasoline engine, creates this chemical. Wood burning produces many benzo[a]pyrene particles, so at very low levels, they are not harmful. But at… Read More »
Legal Options Under the New Mississippi First Responders Health and Safety Act
Many workers risk toxic exposure. Construction workers often encounter asbestos and landscaping workers often inhale toxic fumes. Emergency responders often inhale toxic fumes as well, mostly from smoke. However, the link between a work-related condition and cancer is often hard to establish. Partially in response to this dilemma, then-Governor Phil Bryant signed S.B. 2835… Read More »