Last month, an appellate court in Pennsylvania determined that a workers’ compensation judge and appeals board were wrong to not award a former restaurant chef, manager, and smoker of 30 years workers’ compensation benefits.

The claimant filed for workers’ compensation after suffering a heart attack and needing quintuple bypass surgery.  According to court documents, in 2008, the worker suffered chest pains while moving beer kegs.  Three days later, the worker once again suffered chest pains, this time while lifting a heavy pot of chili.  He was subsequently hospitalized for multiple days and needed surgery.

The worker argued that the heavy lifting caused his injuries, heart attack, and disability.  A workers’ compensation judge and appeals board felt that testimony from the worker’s cardiologist was not sufficient to link his injury to the heavy lifting he performed at work.  However, the claimant appealed to the Commonwealth Court, which ruled that there was sufficient evidence linking his injury to the duties of his job.

If you or someone you know has questions about what constitutes a workplace injury or illness, contact the Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. by calling 215-238-110 today.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau has reported that in 2010, the most common type of fraud reported in the state of Pennsylvania was workers’ compensation fraud.

Workers’ compensation fraud involves an employed individual lying to their insurance company to earn wages that they are not actually entitled to due to an injury that did not occur at the workplace.

In Pennsylvania, workers’ compensation fraud is considered a felony and carries with it a possible sentence of seven years in prison. If convicted, a fine of $15,000 per charge can also be enforced.

If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of employment conditions, please contact the Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. by calling by calling 215-238-1130 today.

Tuesday, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration revealed their list of the top 10 safety violation citations found in their investigations into workplaces across the country.

The most commonly issued citation was for fall protection.  Last year, the federal workplace safety agency issued 7,139 citations for fall protection violations.  The year before, scaffolding violations were found to be the most common problem among employers in the U.S.

Scaffolding was the second most frequently cited violation in 2010.  OSHA issued 7,069 scaffolding violations last year.  Most of these violations involved incorrect setup or positioning of scaffolding.

The other types of citations in the top 10 list were for respiratory protection, hazard communication, wiring, ladders, lockout/tagout, machine guarding, powered industrial trucks, and electrical violations.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident caused by an unsafe work environment, contact the Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to learn more about filing for and receiving workers’ compensation.

As computers and other forms of technology become more important throughout society and the workplace, more and more workers are experiencing eye strain and vision problems.  Occupational tasks involving long hours of looking at a computer screen cause the greatest number of eye strain injuries.

Some eye and vision issues that one may experience after spending several hours staring at a computer screen include blurred or double vision, headaches, back or neck pain, eye muscle spasms or twitching, inability to focus, and red, dry, or itchy eyes.

Variables that affect eye strain include glare on a computer screen, bad lighting on the computer or in the office, position of the computer screen, and what is being viewed on the computer screen.

If you or someone you know has developed vision or eye strain problems as a result of working conditions, contact the Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130 to learn more about whether or not your are eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits.