New statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that injuries and illnesses in the healthcare industry increased in 2010.

Healthcare workers were most likely to develop a musculoskeletal disorder last year.  Incidents involving these disorders increased by 10 percent to a rate of 249 cases per every 10,000 healthcare workers.

Injuries and illnesses among nursing aides, attendants, and orderlies increased to a rate of 489 incidents per 10,000 workers — an increase of 7 percent.  There was a 6 percent increase in injuries and illnesses among healthcare support workers.  These workers experienced injuries and illness at a rate of 283 incidents per 10,000 workers.

The rate of injury and illness throughout the entire U.S. workforce is about 118 incidents per 10,000 workers.

If you or someone you know has been injured or become ill as the result of employment conditions, contact the Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to discuss your situation with one of our experienced attorneys.

A recent survey questioned American workers on stress in the workplace after the economic recession.  62 percent of the survey’s participants said that their employer is trying to accomplish more with fewer resources as a result of the recession.

More than half of workers say that they have taken on a greater number of responsibilities after the economic downtown.  70 percent of these workers reported not receiving an increase in pay for their additional responsibilities.

Studies show that stress in the workplace causes an increase in sick leave taken by employees and conflict between employees.  In addition, a stressful work environment causes employees to become more distracted and dissatisfied on the job, which leads to more mistakes, accidents, and injuries in the workplace.

51 percent of participants in the survey said that taking on more responsibilities at work has had a negative impact on their well-being.

To speak with an experienced attorney about receiving workers’ compensation for an injury incurred on the job, contact the Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. by calling 215-238-1130 today.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed in 1971, making this year the 40th anniversary of the act and the formation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Under the OSH Act, workers are entitled to a safe and healthy workplace.  Before the act passed, employees who were unhappy with a workplace’s environment were forced to find new jobs.

The National Safety Council estimates that 38 people died on the job every day in 1971.  Now, with a workforce two times the size, the NSC estimates that 12 people die on the job every day.

If you or someone you know is seeking an experienced attorney to help them receive workers’ compensation, contact the Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 today.

Recently, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a ruling clearing up the issue of providing sufficient notice of a work-related injury to an employer.

Employees in Pennsylvania are required to inform their employers of a work-related injury within 21 days of the injury.  If an employer is not informed of an injury within the time frame, workers’ compensation claims could be at risk of denial.

The Supreme Court addressed a case involving a woman who did not realize the hand pain and swelling she was experiencing was work-related and, as a result, did not officially report the injury to her employer within the 21-day time frame.  The employee took time off and later returned to work, but the pain did not subside.

More than a year later, doctors told the employee that the pain was work-related and she filed a workers’ compensation claim with her employer.  The employer denied the claim citing the 21-day sufficient notice time frame.

However, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on the side of the woman declaring that a report must be filed with an employer within 21 days of an employee’s realization that an injury is work-related.

If you or someone you know is seeking experienced legal representation to help them file for workers’ compensation, contact the Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to speak with one of our attorneys today.

After receiving several complaints from employees at the Amazon warehouse in Fogelsville, officials with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating Amazon and their Pennsylvania facility.

One worker at the Fogelsville warehouse contacted the agency in June when the temperature at the warehouse increased to 102 degrees and 15 workers fainted.  After asking Amazon to take the necessary measures to improve their workers’ safety and health, an E.R. doctor from Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest called OSHA to report that several Amazon employees had come into the hospital over the past few days with heat-related injuries.

Furthermore, officials received several reports of temperatures at the facility exceeding 100 degrees from a manager at the facility.  And, in July, a security guard reported that temperatures reached 110 degrees in the warehouse and 2 pregnant women needed medical attention.

If you have been injured or become ill from unsafe working conditions, contact the Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to learn more about your rights to a safe and health workplace.

Certain occupations put workers at higher risk of contracting occupational diseases and illnesses like lung disease, heart disease, and cancer.  The positions in which workers are the most likely to contract an occupational disease include coal miner, concrete mixer, mortician, firefighter, pipefitter, pilot, and welder.

Morticians, pilots, and pipefitters all have higher risks of developing cancer than people in other fields of work.  Morticians have a much higher rate of leukemia due to exposure to formaldehyde, pilots often contract melanoma from sun exposure, and pipefitters can be exposed to asbestos and contract mesothelioma.

In addition, firefighters have a high rate of heart attack on the job and welders have been found to be at risk of developing manganism, or “Parkinsonion syndrome,” from exposure to manganese.  Coal miners and concrete mixers are at greater risk of contracting lung diseases including black lung and silicosis.

Contact the Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130, if you or someone you love has become ill from an unhealthy working environment.

The “Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs, 2009″ report authored by the National Academy of Social Insurance shows that the number of people in the U.S. receiving workers’ compensation benefits decreased by 4.4 percent to a total of 124.9 million during the recession.

The report is based on that nation’s latest available workers’ compensation data from 2009.  Employers’ costs for workers’ compensation decreased by 7.6 percent largely because there was a decrease in employed workers during the economic recession. A total of $73.9 billion was paid by employers in the U.S. for workers’ compensation in 2009.

Lastly, the report notes that the amount of workers’ compensation benefits paid out experienced a slight increase of .4 percent in 2009.

If you or someone you know needs assistance filing for workers’ compensation benefits in Philadelphia, contact the Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to set up an appointment to speak with one of our experienced lawyers.