Most Common Work-Related Illnesses
Every day workers are hurt at their places of employment. Even more workers are exposed to dangerous substances that cause potentially lifelong diseases and acute illnesses. Here are some of the most common occupational illnesses that generate workers’ compensation claims: Hearing loss — This is the most common occupational disease thanks to dangerous levels of […]
Liability of employee for an on-the-job prank that injures a co-worker
Some horseplay can be expected at work. Usually, pranks are harmless, but what are the consequences if an employee suffers an injury? A firefighter for the City of Linden was on duty at a firehouse. As he sat down on a toilet in the men’s restroom, he felt an explosion beneath him. Remnants of an […]
Injuries to workers on construction sites
Construction workers are at risk of injury each day they report to a jobsite. Recently a crane operator was injured in South Philadelphia in August when the machine he was operating came into contact with a power line. The worker suffered burn injuries. Construction workers can fall from structures like roofs and scaffolds. They operate […]
Employer’s idiopathic defense against workers’ compensation claim in New Jersey
An employer may try to defeat a workers’ compensation claim on the ground that the injury was idiopathic. The theory behind the defense is that the job did not cause the injury because the same injury would have resulted if the employee had not been on the job. A recent decision of the Appellate Division […]
First responders among injured in New Jersey multiple-vehicle crash
A dump truck struck two state troopers who were standing at a vehicle crash scene. The incident started a chain reaction that resulted in injuries to five firefighters and three state troopers. The accident resulted in damage to at least a dozen vehicles, including an ambulance, a fire truck, state police SUVs and a food […]
Application of New Jersey’s premises rule to injury on employer’s access driveway
The premises rule applies when an employee seeks to recover workers’ compensation or when an employee attempts to file a suit for damages against their employer. If the employee is injured on the employer’s premises, they cannot file a suit for damages against the employer. Workers’ compensation is the injured employee’s only remedy against the […]
Determining when an employee is within the scope of employment proves challenging
When is an employee within the scope of employment? The question arises when an employee files a workers’ compensation claim. The same question is asked when an employee files a negligence or personal injury action against an employer. Recently, a worker for the Department of Public Works (DPW) for the City of Passaic, New Jersey […]
Injuries to an over-the-road truck driver while not driving
Workers’ compensation covers over-the-road truck drivers while they are driving from point A to point B, but not all truck driver’s injuries happen on the road. The driver may fall while stopping to eat lunch or suffer an injury at a hotel. A man who worked for Sangillo as an interstate truck driver was carrying […]
Recovering workers’ compensation for a knee replacement
An employee whose work aggravates a preexisting condition to the extent that a knee replacement is necessary can recovery workers’ compensation. Proving work duties caused the aggravation of the condition can be difficult. A man began working in 2007 as a custodian for the Pennsauken Board of Education (Board). He had osteoarthritis before he began […]
Teacher’s right to accidental disability retirement benefits for injury at an after-school event
Many teachers volunteer to participate in after-school events. What happens when a teacher suffers an accidental injury at such an event? A mathematics teacher for the Clearview Regional School District in New Jersey, volunteered to act as a line judge at an after-school volleyball tournament, an event held to raise funds. During the event a […]