Former workers’ compensation hearing officer Jennifer Carril continues to pursue a $25,000 settlement before the Fourth District Appellate Court in Springfield, Illinois for a disability that she claims is related to her typing duties as a hearing officer, the Belleville News-Democrat reported on May 31. Governor Pat Quinn dismissed Carril in 2011 from her $115,000 per year post… Read More

A three-year investigation made by the Department of Insurance, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, and the Department of Justice to learn whether prison guards in Illinois have been fraudulently submitting workers’ compensation claims has yet to bear fruit, InsuranceNewsNet.com reported on May 24. The investigation was instigated by a series of… Read More

The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently fined Indiana-based roofing company Five Star Commercial Roofing Inc. $49,000 due to  unsafe working conditions at a site in Bartonville, the Journal Star reported on May 1. According to an investigation conducted by OSHA, Five Star’s employees were found to have been working almost… Read More

The presence of electrical equipment at work poses the risk of occupational injuries and accidents, especially if workers do not have proper training as to how to manage such equipment or if the company is not careful about providing a safe workplace. Data from the Electrical Safety Foundation showed that it takes at least 13 work… Read More

On March 11 HB6013 was introduced into the Illinois House of Representatives. If made into law, the bill would allow employers in counties with high unemployment rates to pay a reduced amount in workers’ compensation taxes. The bill was authored by state Rep. Bill Mitchell. Last Friday, March 14, Mitchell stated that the measure is… Read More

The Illinois’ Department of Labor (IDOL) launched an investigation into the January 27 death of an Illinois Tollway maintenance worker. In addition to the death, IDOL is investigating the exact cause of a State troopers injuries. The State trooper was injured on the same day as the toll worker’s death while helping people exit an… Read More

On Thursday, January 14 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that Justin Reed, an Illinois railroad technician may be able to proceed with a Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA) retaliation lawsuit. Reed said that he was coerced by a work supervisor to sign a document stating that the company wasn’t responsible… Read More

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined the U.S. Postal Service facility in Champaign, Illinois $144,000 for eight safety violations. The USPS was cited for failing a complaint inspection in June that showed failure to provide energy control procedures and fall protection at the site. According to OSHA’s Peoria… Read More

Seventy-six-year-old Rhode Island resident Marta Rangel pleaded nolo contendre to one count of obtaining money under false pretenses on Wednesday, December 18 before Providence Superior Court Special Magistrate Patrick Burke for fraudulently collecting $10,000 in workers’ compensation insurance benefits while she was employed between February 2010 and June 2011. According to Attorney General Peter Kilmartin… Read More

The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has presented proposed rules to better workplace safety and health through a more transparent tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses. The public sector is given until Feb. 6, 2014 (90 days) to comment and make suggestions regarding the proposed rule, of which details will be announced in… Read More