Philadelphia Worker's Compensation Law Blog

Workplace safety needs to be improved in Pennsylvania and throughout the country after a new report found that 150 people died from work-related injuries or illnesses every day in 2011. The report by the AFL-CIO said that fatal workplace injuries resulted in 13 deaths every day, and work-related illnesses killed 137 workers every day in 2011.

The report's findings are very concerning as the workplace fatality rate has remained unchanged during the last few years in the U.S. despite enforcement programs initiated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Workers are supposed to be properly trained and provided proper safety equipment but unfortunately, some companies do not follow the safety standards and put workers lives at risk every day.

Insurance companies are dropping firefighters from their workers' compensation coverage in Pennsylvania due to reports showing that firefighters have an increased risk of developing cancer. Insurers started dropping coverage after the Firefighters Cancer Presumption Act was approved in 2011.

The Firefighters Cancer Presumption Act says that every form of cancer can be considered a work-related illness in a firefighter, and that it is up to the municipality to prove that a firefighter's cancer was not caused by occupational exposure. The law also allows workers' compensation claims to be filed going back 600 weeks.

Construction workers face several risks while working but one of the biggest safety risks comes from construction falls. Previous reports have shown that falls are still a significant hazard for workers in the construction industry but what kinds of falls are the most dangerous?

A new study found that falls from roofs were the most common type of fall for construction workers in the U.S., with one-third of all fall-related fatal construction accidents being attributed to falls from roofs. The study reported that construction workers most at risk for roof falls were those that worked for small companies, residential construction workers and Hispanic and immigrant workers.

Martin LLC partner Matt Wilson served as a faculty member for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program entitled "Tough Problems in Workers' Compensation 2013" on Tuesday, April 9^th at the CLE Conference Center in the Wanamaker Building in Philadelphia. 

The program covered key areas in Workers' Compensation Law, including:

· Mastering the ins & outs of compensation for medical treatment

· Establishing liability and coverage for injuries in today's mobile workforce

· A review of recent cases

· The judges' perspective

· Fee review

Attendees are eligible for 4 Pennsylvania CLE credits.

Don't Want to Travel? Take the Course Live on the Web! This course is offered via live webcast simultaneously with the satellite broadcast on April 16, 2013.

For more information or to register, click here.

With sixteen attorneys serving clients through the firm's headquarters in Center City Philadelphia and branch offices in Reading, Malvern, Northeast Philadelphia and Allentown, Martin LLC is one of the largest firms in Pennsylvania that focuses its practice solely on workers' compensation and social security disability. Founded in 1979 by George Martin, the firm and its attorneys are regularly named in a host of "best/top" listings from various attorney rating outlets annually.