2012 January | Scudder & Hedrick

OSHA considering updating PELs

Posted on January 31st, 2012 No Comments

According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Fall 2011 semi-annual regulatory agenda, the agency plans to update its PELs. The agenda was released earlier this month.

PELs, or permissible exposure limits, are limits placed on the amount of time a person can spend exposed to a chemical without harm. Most PELs were created in 1971 and have not been updated since.

The agenda states that OSHA is creating a Request for Information that will ask the public to help them determine new and effective ways to limit chemical exposure in the workplace and to address issues created by this exposure.

To learn more about obtaining workers’ compensation for any occupational injuries or illnesses you or a loved one has experienced, contact the Raleigh workers’ compensation attorneys of Scudder & Hedrick, PLLC by calling 919-851-3311 today.

N.C. workplace fatalities increase in 2011

Posted on January 24th, 2012 No Comments

This month, the North Carolina Department of Labor reported that workplace fatalities in the state increased in 2011. In 2010, 50 people died in on-the-job accidents in North Carolina, and 53 died in workplace accidents last year.

Construction accidents accounted for more fatalities than accidents in any other area of work, with 16 deaths in 2011. 10 people died in accidents related to work in forestry, agriculture, and fishing; 6 of the fatalities were in public utility and transportation accidents; 5 government workers died on the job; and 3 died in manufacturing accidents.

Other industries that experienced fatal accidents in North Carolina in 2011 were the wholesale and retail trade and service industries. Fatalities occurred in 33 of the state’s 100 counties, with the most in Wake County.

Department of Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry stated, “The real tragedy is that all of these fatalities could have been avoided by having proper safety and health training, which we provide free of charge.”

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Raleigh named 18th most tolerant city in the U.S.

Posted on January 17th, 2012 No Comments

In honor of Martin Luther King Day yesterday, The Daily Beast released their list of the top 20 most tolerant cities in the United States. Raleigh ranked 18th on the list.

Cities with populations of more than 250,000 were included in the study. Hate crimes, attitudes on same-sex marriage and religion, statistics on anti-discrimination laws, and racial diversity were taken into consideration when ranking the cities.

According to the study, Raleigh had .02 hate crimes per 100,000 residents in 2010, and 5 same-sex couples per every 100,000 households in the city.

Another North Carolina city ranked first on the list. Durham, North Carolina was found to have .04 hate crimes per 100,000 residents, and 8.3 same-sex couples per every 100,000 households. In addition, Durham had greater religious and racial diversity than other cities.

The Raleigh workers’ compensation attorneys of Scudder & Hedrick, PLLC are proud to be a part of an upstanding community.

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Appeals court awards workers’ comp benefits to widow

Posted on January 10th, 2012 No Comments

Last month, the North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld a decision to award $550 a week in workers’ compensation to the widow of a US Airways Inc. employee who suffered a lower-back injury.

The woman’s husband was injured in 2000 while lifting luggage as an employee of US Airways. Four years later, a doctor prescribed the worker methadone to treat ongoing back pain. A buildup of methadone in the man’s system was found to have contributed to his death.

The North Carolina Industrial Commission awarded workers’ compensation to the US Airways worker’s wife, but the ruling was appealed by the airline. The airline claimed that the man’s death was caused by fatty liver disease, which prevented his body from being able to metabolize the methadone he was taking.

The doctor who prescribed the medication testified that the worker did not abuse the medication. The appellate court ruled that “the toxic build-up of methadone prescribed to manage [the worker's] pain resulting from a compensable injury to a reasonable degree contributed to his death,” and awarded the worker’s wife benefits.

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Workers’ comp suit against Jay-Z dropped

Posted on January 6th, 2012 No Comments

Last week the Workers’ Compensation Board of New York announced that its lawsuit against rapper Jay-Z, 42, will be dropped.

Jay-Z was originally sued for $18,000 after the board claimed he did not pay workers’ compensation for his domestic employees for three months in 2009. The singer adamantly denied the allegations, blaming the confusion on a clerical error.

Although the New York Supreme Court ordered Jay-Z to pay for his outstanding fines, his lawyers were able to prove that the $18,000 balance was indeed a clerical mistake. People close to Jay-Z have stated that he has never missed a workers’ compensation payment. A spokesperson from the board says it will drop the lawsuit.

If you need assistance with an injury or disability claim, contact the Raleigh workman’s compensation lawyers Scudder & Hedrick at 919-851-3311.

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