Navigating the hazard of rising violence in health care facilities

Work Injury

While not widely spoken about, the health care industry has long been regarded as one of the most dangerous professions due to the recognized hazard of workplace violence many medical providers face while performing their duties. Due to a looming rise in violence against health care workers, causing severe injuries, many health care employees are demanding federal protections to be put in place as a response.

Prior to the onset of the current pandemic, health care workers suffered more workplace injuries as a result of violence than any other profession, with approximately 654,000 harmed annually, according to studies reported by the American Hospital Association (“AHA”). Since the onset of the pandemic, however, violence against hospital employees alone has markedly increased. For example, the AHA studies indicate that 44% of nurses reported an increase in physical violence, and 68% reported an increase of verbal abuse.

When violence erupts in a health

Wendy’s Employees Stab Each Other While at Work

Work Injury

Two Wendy’s employees in North Carolina are alleged to have stabbed one another while they were working at the fast-food restaurant, according to police.

Asheboro Police Department (APD) officers raced to the Wendy’s restaurant at 623 West Dixie Drive after they received reports of a stabbing at about 10:22 a.m. on Monday.

According to Fox affiliate WGHP, police said the two employees had gotten into a fight before they both stabbed one another.

When police arrived, they found a 22-year-old man had been stabbed and he was later taken to hospital for treatment.

The network reported a witness told officers that the suspect ran away from the Wendy’s restaurant.

As a precaution, the APD alerted nearby Asheboro High School and South Asheboro Middle School. Both schools then issued a shelter-in-place order, according to WGHP. The order was later lifted.

A second witness told officers the suspect had fled the scene

Denver, Colorado, BNSF worker killed in rail yard accident

Railroad

A BNSF worker was killed in a rail yard accident in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday, February 9. The worker, whose name has not been released, died after being struck by a train at the company’s Globeville yard, which is north of Coors Field. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the accident.

This tragedy took place one day after US District Judge Mark T. Pittman extended a restraining order that forbids BNSF workers to strike over the company’s new Hi-Viz attendance policy. The policy, which the company imposed unilaterally on February 1, allots each worker 30 points and deducts points for every time that a worker takes off from work, regardless of the reason. To earn points back, workers must be on call 24

Does workers compensation cover COVID-19?

Workers Compensation

During the pandemic, many workers are concerned about their health and what, if anything, their workplace will do to compensate or protect them if they catch COVID-19. This is especially an issue for those who don’t have health insurance or other benefits.

Workers’ compensation generally covers the cost of pain and injury incurred while on the job. With the resurgence of COVID and the need for essential employees to often put their lives on the line, some wonder: Does workers’ comp cover pain and suffering and the medical costs caused by COVID?

The answer is: maybe, depending on your job. To understand this, we will dive into what workers’ comp usually covers, the situations where it does and doesn’t cover COVID, and what your other options are if you catch the virus and don’t have a legal claim to workers’ comp.