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Impairment Rating Evaluation (IRE) in Workers’ Comp Case

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has held that IREs are unconstitutional. Section 306 (a)(2) has been deleted from the act. Anyone who was evaluated for an IRE should immediately talk to counsel regarding their legal rights. Call us now at 215.587.8400.

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Current System of Determining On-the-Job Fatalities Has Serious Flaws

A series of flawed provisions in the current Occupational Safety and Health Act prevents the accurate calculation of work-related deaths. The system does represent a fairly accurate tally of on-the-job fatal injuries, but does not include work-related illnesses and occupational diseased like silicosis, asbestosis or hepatitis (sometimes seen in health care workers who have been… Read more

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Timely Filing of a Review Petition for Workers’ Comp Case

In the case of Pizza Hut, Inc. v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Mahalick), on appeal, the employer argued that the claimant’s review petition was time-barred, because it was not filed within three years of the last payment of compensation. The Court did not accept the employer’s argument and affirmed the grant of a review petition… Read more

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Injured Rail Road Worker Sues over Failure to Require Gloves

After Christopher Freitick suffered an on the job injury, he filed a lawsuit against his employer, SMS Rail Lines (“SMS”), for allegedly failing to implement safety procedures that could have prevented the accident. In a recent case, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled on SMS’s motion asking the court to… Read more

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Telecommuting is Changing the Workers’ Comp Landscape

Technology has spurred growth in telecommuting across the country, giving employers and employees options they never had before. For employees, for example, the ability to work from home eases the burden of child care and also eliminates the need to travel to and from work. For employers, having home-based employees can open office space during… Read more

Law Changes and Updates

Pennsylvania Legislature Implements New Measures to Curb Independent Contractor Misclassification by Construction Firms

Independent contractors are widely utilized in the construction business to help reduce costs and bring in valuable outside expertise. For employers, using independent contractors means employment tax savings and the avoidance of certain labor laws. But, problems arise when employers start calling regular employees “independent contractors.” Misclassified workers miss out on a number of benefits,… Read more

Firm News

Eleven Workers’ Compensation Issues Sure To Impact 2011

When the U.S. Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced its preliminary report of the top 10 most-frequent workplace safety violations in 2009 at the annual National Safety Council’s (NSC) Congress and Expo, the report revealed that the top violations had risen almost 30 percent. For four decades, OSHA has struggled to enforce… Read more

Firm News

Martin Law Listed in Top Workplaces for 2011

Martin Law is excited and honored to have been named to the Top Workplaces list for 2011. The firm was listed as number 32 of 50 on the Small Companies list. It is notable that the firm is one of only two law firms to be listed in the publication which was published in the… Read more

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What To Say To a Pennsylvania Doctor When Seeking Treatment for a Work Injury

Almost anyone injured on the job in Pennsylvania is entitled to workers’ compensation. But when dealing with doctors, there are a number of things injured workers should be aware of. The first decision anyone who has been injured faces is which doctor to see. Of course, if the injury victim needs immediate medical attention, often… Read more