5 Things To Know About Workers’ Compensation in Pennsylvania

You may be entitled to workers’ compensation – read these 5 facts

The maximum weekly compensation rate for injured workers in Pennsylvania has risen to $917 for 2013.

That rate – which applies to workplace injuries occurring on and after January 1, 2013 – represents an increase of 3.3 percent from 2012.

Under the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act, workers who are hurt on the job are entitled to wage-loss benefits equal to two-thirds of their weekly pay. However, there are minimum and maximum limits. The exact amounts are based on the Department of Labor and Industry’s calculation of the statewide average weekly wage.

Following are 5 Things You Should Know About Workers’ Compensation in Pennsylvania:

1. What injuries are covered by the Workers’ Compensation Act? Generally speaking, if you suffer a work-related injury or illness, […]

PA Pledges $20 Million to Help Intellectual Disabilities

The Pennsylvania state budget for 2013-14 will include nearly $20 million to help approximately 1,200 adults with intellectual disabilities.

The goal is to shrink the waiting list for home- and community-based services that are needed by these individuals. Among the covered conditions: Down syndrome, autism, and learning disabilities.

In announcing the budget set-aside, Governor Tom Corbett said, “We need to do a better job of looking after these citizens, who, through no failing of their own, cannot look after themselves.”

People in Pennsylvania with disabilities might be eligible for state or federal financial assistance.

Social Security Disability benefits are available to individuals who have earned wages and paid into the Social Security system in at least 20 of the last 40 quarters. In order to qualify for Social Security Disability, a person must be totally disabled – meaning incapable of performing any job due to the disability. […]

Social Security Adds to List of Disability Conditions

The Social Security Administration has added 35 medical conditions – including adult non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Dravet’s syndrome – to its list of conditions that qualify for expedited disability claims processing for Pennsylvania residents who suffer from them.

The new additions push the total number of so-called “Compassionate Allowances” to 200.

Compassionate Allowances are a way to quickly identify diseases and medical conditions that meet Social Security’s standards for disability benefits. The program fast-tracks cases to ensure that people with the most serious disabilities receive benefit decisions within days instead of months or years.

Among the current allowable conditions: certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare child disorders.

If an injury or illness prevents you from returning to your job, you may qualify for monthly Social Security Disability payments. A qualified Pennsylvania Social Security Disability attorney can guide you through the process. […]

Nitro Gas Facility Cited After Worker Death

A nitrogen gas facility located next door to Pennsylvania has been cited for numerous federal workplace safety violations.

AC&S Inc. was slapped by inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) with 12 serious violations at its Nitro, West Virginia, manufacturing plant.

Among the dangerous conditions at the facility:

• Defective air hoods for workers
• Inadequate worker training
• Unsafe handrails on stairs.

OSHA launched the investigation in July 2012 following the death of a worker doing sandblasting.

During the sandblasting, the air line for a supplied air hood was mistakenly hooked up to a nitrogen gas line and the worker became unconscious. OSHA cited AC&S for failing to label nitrogen lines at connection points and not ensuring that breathing air couplings were incompatible with other gas systems.

Other serious violations found at the Nitro plant:

• Failing to provide training on hazardous chemicals
• Failing to ensure stairways wider than 44 inches had handrails on each side
• Failing to use approved electrical chain hoists
• Failing to develop a mechanical integrity program. […]

250 Safety Hazards Found at Area Construction Sites

Surprise construction site inspections reveal hundreds of safety hazards, warrant large fines

Federal safety inspectors have uncovered almost 250 safety violations and issued more than $650,000 in fines for dangerous construction sites in and around Pennsylvania.

The action came after a four-month investigation of hundreds of job sites in Pennsylvania and neighboring states by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The agency conducted 545 surprise inspections that focused on falls, trenches and silica exposure. Hazardous conditions were found at close to 60 percent of the inspected sites.

Every year thousands of construction workers and laborers are killed or seriously injured in construction site accidents.

Following is from the OSHA notice of the Philadelphia Region safety sweep:

Fifty-nine percent of the inspections revealed violations. Some of the most common violations are a failure to use fall protection when working on roofs, […]