Types of Workplace Injuries Call Jim Vander Linden for Complete Workers Advocacy-612-339-6841



What are work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs)?

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a group of painful disorders of muscles, tendons, and nerves. Carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, thoracic outlet syndrome, and tension neck syndrome are examples.

This page will discuss those injuries resulting from overuse & those that develop over time. Work activities which are frequent and repetitive, or activities with awkward postures cause these disorders which may be painful during work or at rest.

Almost all work requires the use of the arms and hands. Therefore, most WMSD affect the hands, wrists, elbows, neck & shoulders. Work using the legs can lead to WMSD of the legs, hips, ankles & feet. Some back problems also result from repetitive activities

What are the risk factors for WMSDs?

 



WMSDs are caused from arm & hand movements such as bending, straightening, gripping, holding, twisting, clenching & reaching. These common movements are not particularly harmful in the ordinary activities of daily life. What makes them hazardous in work situations is the continual repetition, often in a forceful manner, and most of all, the speed of the movements and the lack of time for recovery between them. WMSDs are associated with work patterns that include:

• Fixed or constrained body positions.
• Continual repetition of movements.
• Force concentrated on small parts of the body, such as the hand or wrist.
• A pace of work that does not allow sufficient recovery between movements.

Generally, none of these factors acts separately to cause WMSD. WMSDs commonly occur as a result of a combination and interaction among them.
Heat, cold and vibration also contribute to the development of WMSD.

WMSDs include three types of injuries:

• Muscle injury
• Tendon injury
• Nerve injury

 

What are the symptoms of WMSDs?

 

Pain is the most common symptom associated with WMSDs. In some cases there may be joint stiffness, muscle tightness, redness and swelling of the affected area. Some may also notice sensations of "pins and needles," numbness, skin color changes, & decreased sweating of the hands.
WMSDs may progress in stages from mild to severe.

Early stage: Aching and tiredness of the affected limb occur during the work shift but disappear at night and during days off work. No reduction of work performance.

Intermediate stage: Aching and tiredness occur early in the work shift and persist at night. Reduced capacity for repetitive work.

Late stage: Aching, fatigue, and weakness persist at rest. Inability to sleep and to perform light duties.
Not everyone goes through these stages in the same way. The first pain is a signal that the muscles and tendons should rest and recover. Otherwise, an injury can become longstanding,& sometimes, irreversible.

The table below outlines occupational risk factors and symptoms of the most common disorders of the upper body associated with WMSDs.

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Identified disorders, occupational risk factors and symptoms
Disorders	Occupational risk factors	Symptoms
Tendonitis/tenosynovitis	Repetitive wrist motions Repetitive shoulder motions Sustained hyper extension of arms Prolonged load on shoulders	Pain, weakness, swelling, burning sensation or dull ache over affected area
Epicondylitis (elbow tendonitis)	Repeated or forceful rotation of the forearm and bending of the wrist at the same time	Same symptoms as tendonitis
Carpal tunnel syndrome	Repetitive wrist motions	Pain, numbness, tingling, burning sensations, wasting of muscles at base of thumb, dry palm
DeQuervain's disease	Repetitive hand twisting and forceful gripping	Pain at the base of thumb
Thoracic outlet syndrome	Prolonged shoulder flexion Extending arms above shoulder height Carrying loads on the shoulder	Pain, numbness, swelling of the hands
Tension neck syndrome	Prolonged restricted posture	Pain



Injured At Work? Let Jim Vander Linden Help Call Today 612-339-6841!! How Common Is An Injury At Work?

Seven occupations had rates greater than 375 cases per 10,000 full-time workers: transit and intercity

bus drivers; police and sheriff’s patrol officers; correctional officers and jailers; firefighters; nursing assistants; laborers and freight, stock and material movers; and emergency medical technicians and paramedics. transit and intercity bus drivers; police and sheriff’s patrol officers; correctional officers and jailers; and firefighters. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers had the highest number of days-away-from-work cases in 2012 with 63,690 cases (primarily in private industry). 

Private sector incidence rate for days-away-from-work cases decreased to 102 per 10,000 full-time

workers in 2012 from 105 in 2011. Despite the overall decrease, four occupational groups had increases in their incidence rates in 2012 including: computer and mathematical occupations; community and social service occupations; personal care and service occupations; and transportation and material moving occupations. The number of cases for these four broad occupation groups also increased. Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest incidence rate (258, up from 251 in 2011) of all occupation groups.

Transit and intercity bus drivers had an incidence rate of 852 cases per 10,000 full-time workers for

all ownerships. The majority of injuries and illnesses to bus drivers occurred in local government

with a rate of 1,026—statistically unchanged from the previous year. For private sector bus drivers, the incidence rate increased to 417 from 342 in 2011. Three other occupations with high rates and at least 0.1 percent of full-time equivalent employment occurred primarily in local government or state government: police and sheriff’s patrol officers; correctional officers; and fire fighters.

• Musculoskeletal disorder cases (388,060) accounted for 34 percent of all injury and illness

cases in 2012. Both the incidence rate and case count remained unchanged from the

previous year; however the median days away from work increased by 1 day to a median of 12 days.

Laborer and freight, stock, and material movers had the highest number of MSD cases and an

incidence rate of 164 per 10,000 full-time workers—up from 140 in 2011.

Occupation
 

Seven occupations had rates greater than 375 cases per 10,000 full-time workers: transit and intercity

bus drivers; police and sheriff’s patrol officers; correctional officers and jailers; firefighters; nursing

assistants; laborers and freight, stock and material movers; and emergency medical technicians and

paramedics. Injuries and illnesses to four of the seven occupations occurred primarily to state and local government workers: transit and intercity bus drivers; police and sheriff’s patrol officers; correctional officers and jailers; and firefighters. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers had the highest number of days-away-from-work cases in 2012 with 63,690 cases (primarily in private industry) and an incidence rate of 391 (up from 367 in 2011).Only occupations that had at least 0.1 percent of full time employment are included in the list of high rate occupations.

For all occupations, the incidence rate for the public sector was over 71 percent higher than in the

private sector. The public sector rates were more than two times greater than private sector rates for

laborers, freight, and material movers, janitors and cleaners, and landscaping and grounds keeping. 

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand 63,690 10 Overexertion and bodily reaction (44%),

Contact with object or equipment (33%)
Nursing assistants 44,100 6 Overexertion and bodily reaction (55%),

Falls, slips, trips (18%)

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers 41,840 18 Overexertion and bodily reaction (36%),

Falls, slips, trips (29%)

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and

housekeepers 38,610 11 Overexertion and bodily reaction (41%),

Falls, slips, trips (30%)

Police and sheriff's patrol officers 32,190

Violence and other injuries by persons or

animals (27%), Transportation incidents

(20%), Overexertion and bodily reaction

(20%), Falls, slips, trips (20%)

 

 

How To Determine if You are Experiencing a Workplace Injury!

First, if you have suffered an injury at work and have not reported it to your employer, you should do so immediately! There are strict deadlines for actually reporting an injury once you are aware the injury is related to your work activities. Failure to report the injury might be an obstacle from any possible recovery.
Notice of a work- related injury should be given to a supervisor, human resources director, or someone else in a position of authority with the employer. This person should give you a DWC-1 to fill out. The DWC-1 outlines the nature of your work injury and how it relates to your work. You or your employer should then recommend you to a Redding Worker's Compensation doctor to document the injury and seek treatment.

However, some injuries are difficult to determine if they are work related. The legal test is whether the injury arose out of employment through the course of the employment.
Job Duties Cause an Injury or Disabling Condition Through Repetitive Use During Your Employment.

Not all work comp injuries are the result of one specific incident. If you fall down a flight of stairs and break your leg while at work, anyone could determine the specific time and date the work injury occurred. This is considered a "specific injury." It is fairly easy to determine if this injury is work-related.

However, some injuries are more difficult to determine if they were directly caused by your employment. For example, what about work activities which over a period of time result in a painful or disabling medical condition? An example of this kind of injury would  be someone who does manual labor and spends all day, everyday, bent over shoveling or lifting. Due to the lifting and shoveling, this person develops lumbar back pain which requires medical treatment. If the work activities of lifting and shoveling contributed to his/ her back injury, this would be a repetitive injury work comp claim.  Other examples would include: if you use your hands repetitively at work and you develop hand/wrist pain; or if you do a lot of walking and climbing and develop knee pain; or if you are exposed to toxins and/or chemicals over a period of time and develop respiratory problems; or if you are exposed to loud noises at work and gradually develop hearing problems. These types of injuries are labeled repetitive, or "cumulative trauma" injuries.

Cumulative trauma injuries happen gradually at work, over a period of time or during a course of repetitive action. These injuries are generally considered to arise out of your employment through the course of doing your work activities. Therefore, they would be a work-related injury and fall under work comp.

One of the trickiest parts of cumulative injuries is determining the date injury occurred. The date of injury for a repetitive use injury, can be the first date you see a physician, the first day you become disabled or limited from the injury, or the last day you work, among other possible dates.

If you suspect that you have such a claim from your work activities, you should give notice to your employer immediately, explaining you have a medical condition which you believe is related to your work activities. Again, follow-up with your physician right away and describe in detail what your job duties were and how they seemed to cause or increase your symptoms.Our Recommendation:If you are unsure whether you have been injured on the job, or if you have a medical condition or disability which you believe was caused or aggravated by your work activities, immediately file a report of injury with your employer and contact our office for a FREE consultation. We will advise you of the rights and benefits available to you.

What Type of Injuries Qualify For Workmans Compensation??



If you are seeking workers' compensation benefits, you will have to show that your injury or illness is work-related. Usually, if you were doing something for the benefit of your employer, and you were injured or became ill as a result, then your injury or illness is work-related and you can receive benefits as long as you meet the other eligibility requirements.

Although the "work-related" requirement seems simple, it can get tricky. Some common situations are covered below. If your injury or illness falls into a gray area, you may want to consult with an attorney to find out whether you will be eligible for benefits.

Lunch Breaks

Typically, injuries or illnesses that happen on an employee's lunch break are not covered under workers' compensation. For example, if you sprained your ankle while walking into a deli to pick up your lunch (or lunch for your coworkers), then you probably cannot claim workers' compensation for that injury. However, if you were also picking up lunch for your boss, then the injury might be covered. If you sprained your ankle in a cafeteria on the company's premises, then your injury might be covered by workers' comp.

Company Events

Many companies sponsor special events like parties, picnics, or baseball games -- and injuries sustained at these events are usually covered by workers' compensation. For example, let's say To drinks too much wine at the company anniversary party and decides to twirl his coworker Kari above his head while they are dancing. Unfortunately, he drops Kari, and they both fall. Kari breaks her arm, and Tom suffers a  strained neck. Both injuries are probably covered by workers' compensation.

Travel

If you are injured on your commute to or from work, your injury probably isn't covered by workers' compensation. However, there are sometimes when injuries during travel are covered. For example, if you are traveling for work, but not to your fixed work site (on a business trip, for example), then your injuries will probably be covered. If you are a traveling salesperson with no regular work site, then injuries you sustain while driving to meet with a customer will probably be covered. Or, if you are injured during your regular commute but are driving a company vehicle, then your injuries will probably be covered.

Misconduct

If you were injured while breaking a workplace safety rule or while doing something else that your employer has prohibited (even a criminal act), your injury may still be covered by workers' compensation, depending on the level of your misconduct. This is part of the workers' compensation bargain: Employees do not have the right to sue their employer for work-related injuries, but those injuries are usually covered by workers' compensation, regardless of fault.

As an example of how injuries that stem from misconduct are usually still covered under workers' compensation, let's say Ann and Lee work on the assembly line at Widget World. One day, they decide to play catch with a two-pound metal ball that is part of the machinery. This is a direct violation of a safety rule, which prohibits playing with the equipment. While Ann is attempting to catch the ball, it slips through her hands and hits her in the head, knocking her unconscious and causing a minor brain injury. Her injury could still be covered by workers' compensation, even though she was violating a work rule when she got hurt, especially if the employer knew this type of horseplay occurred and condoned it.
There are some exceptions to this general rule. For example, if your injuries were self-inflicted, then they might not be covered.

Preexisting Conditions

If you have a preexisting condition, and your job aggravates or exacerbates it in a way that results in an injury or illness, then the injury is probably covered by workers' compensation. For example, when Bill was 30, a disc in his back ruptured. The injury resolved itself within six months and has not bothered him since. He is now 45 and works in a department store. One day, he ruptures the same disc while lifting a heavy object off a shelf. Although his job did not cause his initial injury, it certainly caused it to reoccur. The injury is now covered by workers' compensation.

Hearing Loss

People who work in noisy environments -- such as construction sites or manufacturing plants -- often suffer hearing loss over time. Unless there is some other obvious reason for the impairment, this injury is usually covered by workers' compensation.

Mental Conditions

Mental conditions that are job-related are covered by workers' compensation. For example, if you are traumatized by witnessing another employee injured or killed on the job, your trauma is compensable by workers' comp. Conditions caused by a stressful workplace environment can also be compensable. In addition, if you become depressed because you have suffered from a workplace injury, that depression is covered by workers' compensation.
Be warned, however, that it can be hard to prove that the mental condition actually exists and that it was caused by workplace events. This is a situation in which a consultation with a lawyer can help you decide how to proceed.

Diseases and Illnesses

If you have a disease or illness resulting from your work, then you are entitled to workers' compensation. For example, workers suffering from asbestosis, which is a disease caused by exposure to asbestos, can receive workers' compensation benefits, as can workers suffering from black lung disease, which is caused by inhaling coal dust. Except in the case of recognized environmental illnesses like these, however, it can be difficult to prove that a disease is work-related and not something that would have happened anyway.

Think You Are Safe With Your Smoke Detector-- Think Again



Three young children, 4-year-old twins and a 1-year-old girl, died during the fire as a result of inhaling toxic smoke, chemicals and carbon monoxide. The claim was brought against Walter Kidde and United Technologies Corporation, among others, as a result of an ionization smoke detector in the house failing to alarm. Unfortunately, most homeowners don’t know about the problem.

 Smoke detector manufacturers have known for more than 30 years that a standalone ionization smoke detector is not adequate to protect a home involving a slow-growth or slow-smoldering fire. Proper testing reveals that ionization smoke detectors do not even detect smoke. They detect submicron particles, which may not be produced in large enough quantity to activate an ionization.
Ionization detectors are also more dangerous because they give people a false sense of security. An ionization detector is often the detector that goes off when someone opens an oven door or burns toast. In such cases, there may be no visible smoke whatsoever. The sad truth is that folks who have these types of detectors assume that if their detector sounds in the absence of smoke, that it would certainly go off in a fire. That is a highly dangerous misconception

Another problem with the ionization design is that a person who has a battery operated detector may actually take the battery out to prevent nuisance alarms. The detector housings are made out of plastic so that when a fire does flame up and spread, the evidence is destroyed. The detector melts and burns. It may be impossible to determine the manufacturer of the detector or even whether there was a detector actually in the home.

There is an alternative technology available that makes the home much safer from smoldering fires. That’s the photoelectric design, which does sense the presence of smoke in a smoldering fire. This technology has been around for years and has proven to be effective.

So Please Take A Minute Now and Check Your Smoke Detector--Your Family's Safety Is Important!!
 

SPAM--IF IT DOES THIS KIND OF DAMAGE TO THE PROCESSOR WHAT'S IT DOING TO THE CONSUMER?

 

On the cut-and-kill floor of Quality Pork Processors Inc.in Austin, Minnesota, the wind always blows from the open doors at the docks where drivers unload trailers of screeching pigs, through to the "warm room" where the hogs are butchered, to the plastic-draped breezeway where the parts are handed over to Hormel for packaging, the air gusts and swirls, whistling through the plant like the current in a canyon. In the first week of December 2006, Matthew Garcia felt feverish and chilled on the blustery production floor. He fought stabbing back pains and nausea, but he figured it was just the flu—and he was determined to tough it out. Garcia had gotten on at QPP only 12 weeks before and had been stuck with one of the worst spots on the line: running a device known simply as the "brain machine"—the last stop on a conveyor line snaking down the middle of a J-shaped bench [DC] called the "head table." Every hour, more than 1,300 severed pork heads go sliding along the belt. Workers slice off the ears, clip the snouts, chisel the cheek meat.

 

Matthew Garcia

 

They scoop out the eyes, carve out the tongue, and scrape the palate meat from the roofs of mouths. Because, famously, all parts of a pig are edible nothing is wasted. A woman next to Garcia would carve meat off the back of each head before letting the denuded skull slide down the conveyor and through an opening in a plexiglass shield.
On the other side, Garcia inserted the metal nozzle of a 90-pounds-per-square-inch compressed-air hose and blasted the pigs' brains into a pink slurry. One head every three seconds. A high-pressure burst, a fine rosy mist, and the slosh of brains slipping through a drain hole into a catch bucket. (Some workers say the goo looked like Pepto-Bismol; others describe it as more like a lumpy strawberry milkshake.) When the 10-pound barrel was filled, another worker would come to take the brains for shipping to Asia, where they are used as a thickener in stir-fry..

Garcia inserted a compressed-air hose

 and blasted the pigs' brains into a pink slurry.

 One head every three seconds

Tasks at the head table are literally numbing. The steady hum of the automatic Whizard knives gives many workers carpal tunnel syndrome. For eight hours, Garcia stood, slipping heads onto the brain machine's nozzle, pouring the glop into the drain, then dropping the empty skulls down a chute. By early December, Garcia would return home spent, his back and head throbbing. But this was more than ordinary exhaustion or some winter virus. On December 11, Garcia awoke to find he couldn't walk. His legs felt dead, paralyzed. His family rushed him to the Austin Medical Center.
Doctors there sent Garcia to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, about an hour away. By the time he arrived, he was running a high fever and complaining of piercing headaches. He underwent a battery of exams, including MRIs of his head and back. Every test revealed neurological abnormalities, most importantly a severe spinal-cord inflammation, apparently caused by an autoimmune response. It was as if his body was attacking his nerves.
By Christmas, Garcia had been bedridden for two weeks, and baffled doctors feared he might be suicidal. They sent a psychiatrist to prepare him for life in a wheelchair.

Soon after Daniel was ill 16 other employees on the same line came down with the same symptoms. All of them were eventually sent to the Mayo Clinic, where the best diagnosis for all of them was severe neurological damage. 6 of the 16 were conveniently fired for being here illegally. The other 10 learned not to admit anything because of what they had seen their co workers go through. Eventually those 10 did receive a settlement of approx. $12,500 each with continuing medical coverage, however 0 of the 10 have ever recouped to their status before these problems started.
It's scary how fast your life can change. Take nothing for granted, be aware of your surroundings and be aware of your co workers--it just may save your life!  

Walgreens Agrees to $80 Million Settlement Over Distribution of Painkillers



Walgreens has reached a settlement with the federal government that will cost the company about $80 million. The DEA charged that  Walgreens was committing an “unprecedented” number of record-keeping and dispensing violations of the Controlled Substances Act. Walgreens was said to have negligently allowed controlled substances such as the narcotic oxycodone and other prescription painkillers to be distributed to abusers and sold illegally on the black market.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the U.S. death rate from drug overdoses has more than tripled since 1990. It said prescription painkillers, also known as opioid or narcotic pain relievers, were involved in more than 15,500 overdose deaths in the United States in 2009. Walgreens had previously set aside $80 million for a settlement, including $25 million in its fiscal third quarter, which ended May 31st.