Contra Costa County and Tri-Valley Workers' Compensation Blog

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health issued guidelines for precautionary measures to take to protect employees from exposure to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Although workers' compensation will likely cover work-related infections, the agency noted that health care workers and those who work in laboratory settings would be at higher risks than in other occupations. Risk assessments must determine activities and tasks that could expose workers and employers must have clear plans for action when exposure incidents occur.

Cal/OSHA says feasible work practice and engineering control must be used to minimize the exposure of health care workers. The standards include those mandated in the Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Diseases (ATD) standard because the 2019-nCoV is an airborne infectious disease. Measures include isolation areas or rooms, air disinfection, air filtration and exhaust ventilation controls. Pathogens can be transmitted through the air that workers breathe, aerosols and droplets.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently reported that California workers at the Amazon fulfillment center in Fresno appear to face exceptionally high injury risks. Analysis of OSHA records shows that 307 occupational illnesses and injuries were reported at that facility in the twelve months from June 2018 through May 2019. The agency further reports that the injury rate at this fulfillment center is triple the rate of injuries in this industry nationwide, which is reflected in the number of workers' compensation claims.

One source reported that workers feared job loss if they reported on-the-job injuries, which makes one question the accuracy of the reported injury statistics. The OSHA report lists the injury types, most of which are back, shoulder, wrist and ankle strains and sprains resulting from repetitive motions. Next on the injury list come bruises, fractures, crush injuries and skin irritations.

A person who suffers a spinal cord injury has an uncertain future, but understanding a bit about their injury can help them to set goals. There are three primary factors that determine healing possibilities. These include the location, severity and type of injury.

Typically, higher, more severe, and complete injuries are more difficult to recover from than lower, less severe, and incomplete injuries. You can discuss the type of injury with your doctor.

A significant number of workplace accidents in California involve the lack of adequate safety standards. Roof workers often rely on their employers to provide the necessary fall protection. Unfortunately, not all employers prioritize employee safety, which is likely reflected in the number of workers' compensation claims that are filed each year.

Safety authorities say roof fall protection is classified as passive and active. Passive protection involves guardrail systems and other safety devices that are installed to prevent falls, and active protection includes lanyards, harnesses, horizontal lifelines and anchor points, which are all safety devices connected to the workers. Employers must assess each roof to determine their unique hazards before work proceeds.