National survey of frontline healthcare employees finds fear, unsafe working conditions
A new report from researchers at George Washington University summarizes the findings from a national survey of frontline healthcare employees during the early days of the pandemic, finding that many reported unsafe working conditions and retaliation for voicing their concerns to employers. About 1,200 health care workers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia took the survey and the GW researchers analyzed the data collected during a two-month period from the beginning of May 2020 until the end of June 2020. Eurekalert
Pennsylvania: Employee’s suicide covered under workers’ comp, court rules
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has ruled that the family of a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority employee who committed suicide is entitled to workers’ compensation because the suicide was not an “intentional” act and was was the result of stressors from a work-related injury that caused him depression and anxiety over his family’s financial security. Law.com/Legal Intelligencer [may require registration]
Washington L&I inspection finds hazards to Amazon warehouse employees
Washington state safety regulators have found a “direct connection” between the incidence of injuries at an Amazon warehouse and the expectation that warehouse employees “maintain a very high pace of work” or else face discipline. Muscle, joint and nerve injuries caused by the repetitive rhythms of the warehouse have left some Amazon employees out of work and in constant pain. The finding comes after a January inspection of a fulfillment center in Pierce County. Seattle Times
Michigan: Unvaccinated employees still have to wear masks
Michigan employers no longer have to require mask-wearing and social distancing on the job if employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 under new workplace safety rules issued Monday by MIOHSA, but unvaccinated employees still must wear masks if they “cannot consistently maintain six feet of separation from other individuals indoors in the workplace,” according to the agency’s new emergency rules that are effective immediately and will remain in place for six months. Crain’s Detroit Business
Can active self-defense save organizations money?
The direct cost from settlements and insurance to a healthcare organization when responding to the injury or death of an employee from violence is substantial. Above and beyond payment of workers’ compensation claims, liability claims for failure to provide a safe workplace are also expensive to litigate, regardless of merit, and may well result in substantial settlements. Security Magazine