The disability supplement will benefit more than 60 per cent of recipients of the Employment Support and Income Assistance program, he said, which equates to about 15,000 people. Clients will begin receiving the increase automatically.
Author: Janet
Northern MPPs Call for Workers Comp Overhaul
Sudbury MPP Jamie West is joining an NDP colleague in demanding what he calls fair compensation for workers who incur injuries and illness on the job.
New York Contractor Faces $522K in Penalties for Fall Hazards Resulting in Death of Worker
“The agency issued six willful violations for the fall hazards – one violation for each exposed worker – and one serious violation for not training the workers. The proposed penalties for the violations total $522,527.”
Summary Report: Experience and Expertise of People with Lived and Living Experience on the Integration of Mental Health and Substance Use Health Services in Canada
Millions injured, ill at work in 2022; Safety reforms can ease worker suffering, reduce costs for employers, says National COSH
8 NOV 2023
For immediate release, Wednesday November 8
Contact: Roger Kerson, roger@nationalcosh.org, 734.645.0535
Millions injured, ill at work in 2022; Safety reforms can ease worker suffering, reduce costs for employers, says National COSH
BLS estimates 2.8 million preventable injuries and illnesses in 2022, a 7.5% increase; Experts agree true count of pain is much higher
LOS ANGELES – Millions of preventable workplace illnesses and injuries show the urgent need for worker-centered safety reforms, leaders of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) said today.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released today an estimate of 2.8 million serious workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022, a 7.5% increase from 2021. The data is based on the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.
“You shouldn’t have to break your back, lose a limb or get electrocuted when you go in to work your shift,” said National COSH Co-Executive Director Jessica E. Martinez. “Workers more than anyone understand their jobs and worker-centered solutions lead to the most effective safety reforms that can prevent injuries and illnesses before they happen.”
The BLS survey, which includes serious injuries and illnesses that require medical treatment beyond first aid, is based on self-reports from employers. The U.S. Congress, the Government Accountability Office and academic experts all agree that BLS significantly underestimates the real toll of pain and suffering.
The GAO, for example, found that fewer than half of employers fully report injuries and illnesses as required by federal law. Firms also use subtle and not-so-subtle “incentives” to discourage workers from reporting. Rather than encourage safe work practices, this creates pressure for workers to hide health problems they may be having on the job.
BLS does not collect sufficient data to fully analyze non-fatal injuries by race or ethnic origin. Due to a long history of workplace discrimination, and evidence that Black and Brown workers are more likely to suffer fatal workplace injuriesthan other workers, it’s important to investigate further and address racial disparities that impact workplace safety.
“We are allowing workers to get hurt or sick from hazards that can be avoided,” said Peter Dooley, a certified industrial hygienist (CIH) who is a program and technical support specialist at National COSH. “And it’s outrageous that once they are injured or sick, workers are stuck in a broken worker’s compensation system that fails miserably to deliver the medical and financial support workers desperately need.”
When workers’ comp laws were established in the United States during the first half of the 20th century, the concept was a “grand bargain”. Employers would be relieved of potentially huge liability from tort lawsuits, and workers would receive certain, swift compensation if they got hurt on the job.
This “grand bargain” has failed, because payment for workplace injuries is anything but swift or guaranteed. Injured workers are frequently stigmatized, their injuries denied or minimized by company-paid doctors, and their earned benefits delayed – or never delivered. Instead of getting the help they need, millions of sick and injured workers “are at risk of falling into poverty,” according to the U. S. Department of Labor.
Workers’ compensation in the U.S. is a state-by-state system, with no minimum national standards. A 2015 investigation by NPR and ProPublica found that “employers are now paying the lowest rates for workers’ comp than at any time since the 1970s.” Thirty-three out of 50 states, they reported, “have passed laws that reduce benefits, create hurdles to getting medical care or make it more difficult to qualify for workers’ comp.”
The National Safety Council estimates the true cost to employers of workplace injuries and fatalities at $167 billion a year.
“Employers can measure their costs in dollars and cents,” said Martinez. “But how do you measure the cost for a worker who can’t bend down, can no longer pick up a child, who can no longer do a day’s work without intense pain and suffering?”
To effectively eliminate workplace hazards, safety experts recommend effective worker safety training programs and putting a priority on eliminating hazards with system-wide engineering and operational changes, such as removing a toxic substance from the workplace. System-wide actions should take place before actions focused on individuals, such as providing personal protective equipment (PPE). This still exposes the worker to hazards and can provide a false sense of security.
A National COSH guide to “Building Worker Power Through Health and Safety Committees” recommends several steps to reduce preventable injuries and illnesses.
- Gathering input about safety problems directly from workers, using tools such as worker surveys, hazard mapping, and body mapping.
- Documenting and tracking health and safety problems as they arise.
- Investigating and addressing all health and safety issues in the workplace, including “close calls” to identify all the possible contributing factors that can bechanged to correct the hazard.
- Training and education programs for workers in a language they understand and support for workers to understand their work environment and prevent hazard exposure.
- Closing the loop with workers to show what is being done to try and get better health and safety improvements on the job.
“We have the tools and technology to make our jobs safer,” said Dooley. “The challenge is to build worker power so we can implement these tools in all our workplaces.”
For more information, please visit the https://nationalcosh.org/InjuredAtWorkInjured at Work Justice Campaign page at https://nationalcosh.org/NationalCOSH.org.
Settlement of Several Canadian Class Actions Relating to the Prescription Drugs OxyContin and OxyNEO, Including Cases Filed by Siskinds LLP and Siskinds, Desmeules
A settlement has now been approved in the Canadian Oxycontin Class Actions.
*** THE CLAIM PERIOD IS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS ***
File your claim on or before February 27, 2024, at www.oxycontinclassactionsettlement.ca
A Canada-wide settlement has been approved to settle several Canadian class actions relating to the prescription drugs OxyContin and OxyNEO, including cases filed by Siskinds LLP and Siskinds, Desmeules. The Settlement will compensate eligible class members for various injuries that they suffered due to addictions that they developed from using these prescription Oxy drugs.
The Canadian OxyContin Class Action Settlement is now open to claims. Anyone who was prescribed and ingested OxyContin and/or OxyNEO in Canada between January 1, 1996, and February 28, 2017, is eligible to claim under the settlement. Estates of deceased Canadian Oxy users are also eligible to file claims, as are spouses, children, and certain other family members. Class members have until February 27th, 2024, to file a claim.
For more information, please read the Notice of Settlement Approval, or visit the Canadian OxyContin Class Action Settlement website at: www.oxycontinclassactionsettlement.ca or contact the claims administrator at 1-888-663-7185 or by email at oxycontin@ricepoint.com.
If you used prescription OxyContin or OxyNEO in Canada at any time between 1996 and 2017, and you suffered from opioid addiction, we encourage you to email Siskinds LLP at oxycontin_classaction@siskinds.com, call us toll-free at 1-800-461-6166, or complete the form on this page.
OxyContin®/OxyNEO® User Claim Form
Family Member Claim Form
Visit OxyContin® and OxyNEO® Class Action Settlement for more information.
Ontario launches review into workplace injury pay after Jamaican migrant workers win legal battle
A great win for migrant workers who are left on their own following permanent injuries.
Workers’ Immigration Status is a Health Issue
A look at workers when their rights are not equal.
They Made a Huge Profit Knowing They’d Kill People’: US Firms Use Tactics To Avoid Paying Asbestos Victims
Advocates say corporate strategy known as ‘Texas two-step’ is being used as ‘menu choice’ to avoid paying compensation
Gig Workers with Disabilities in Canada
A Qualitative Study of the Landscape of Gig Work for People Living with Disabilities and Future Recommendations for Best Practices
https://workwellnessinstitute.org/gig-workers-with-disabilities-in-canada/