As Congress debated a COVID-19 relief package at the end of 2020, you may have heard that a sticking point was the Senate leader’s insistence on providing liability protection to ensure that businesses could not be sued if customers or employees contracted COVID-19 from exposure to the virus on their premises. What was less well-publicized is…
As more employees work from home in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, employers and workers are considering the implications for workers’ compensation claims, because accidents can happen at home as easily as in the traditional workplace. As stated by Insurance Business America, home-based employees have the same workers’ compensation benefits as office employees do. Little…
The N.C. Industrial Commission handles disputes about workers’ compensation benefits sought by workers dealing with disabling injuries or illnesses. Disputes often arise when employers or insurance companies try to withhold or discontinue benefits. At Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks, P.A., our Raleigh workers’ compensation attorneys help injured and ill workers seek the workers’ comp benefits…
Despite a stay-at-home order in North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people work in jobs that are deemed essential. They are continuing to report to work on a daily basis. Normally, North Carolina workers who become ill because of occupational exposure to disease expect to qualify for workers’ compensation. A closer look at North…
A recent analysis of workers’ compensation claims found that temporary workers are more likely to suffer job-related injuries than permanent employees in the same industries. The researchers focused on training received by temporary workers and wrote that training may be particularly important for younger and less experienced temporary workers. Workers’ compensation insurance provides medical benefits…
We learn early that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But a recent study of commuter traffic suggests that a longer route between home and work is safer and less likely to end in a car accident. The study by a University researchers was a project to produce an algorithm to…
Workers who suffer on-the-job injuries and are eligible for workers’ compensation have greatly increased odds of dying of a drug overdose and from suicide, newly published research says. The risk of suicide or overdose from opioid painkillers nearly triples in women with workplace injuries serious enough to keep them off the job for more than…
First Responders Suffering Post Traumatic Stress Would Have Access to Workers Compensation Benefits Under New House Bill A bill passed by the North Carolina House of Representatives would make it easier for first responders to obtain workers’ compensation benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder caused by work-related experiences. The legislation, House Bill 492, provides that law…
Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks, P.A., is proud to have two lawyers who are North Carolina board-certified workers’ compensation specialists. The attorneys bring a high level of professionalism and knowledge about workers’ compensation law to each case they handle. They understand that being injured and out of work can cause financial stress for the worker…
The annual list of the top 10 most frequently cited OSHA safety standard violations in U.S. workplaces features many familiar hazards and one workplace safety standard on the list for the first time. Patrick Kapust, deputy director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, told the NSC’s Safety+Health magazine that the Top 10 list represents the…
