Working in hot weather can be riskier than you realize

For most people in Illinois, summer is a time to look forward to. But, for farm workers, construction workers and anyone else whose job requires them to work outside, the hot and humid weather can actually pose a huge risk. Without proper safety precautions, heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses and injuries can take a serious toll on workers' health.

According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, every year dozens of workers die while working in the hot outdoors. Thousands more become ill or injured. While this is tragic, the good news is that there are many preventative strategies workers and employers can take to minimize the risk of on-the-job harm.

On behalf of Ronald Kanoski

Traumatic brain injuries, a serious form of head injury, can often result from car accidents.

Car accidents are one of the leading causes of injuries in the nation. In the United States, 2.3 million people were injured in car accidents during 2013 alone. Of the 285,477 car accidents that occurred in Illinois during the same time, just over 61,000 (or 21.4 percent) involved an injury of some sort.

BY ALAN BAVLEY

The Kansas City Star

Posted on Sat, Dec. 17, 2011 07:07 PM

Buried deep in a federal database is Practitioner No. 222117, perhaps the most frequently disciplined doctor in America.

This doctor has been accused of violating drug laws, prescribing unauthorized medications, providing substandard care and obtaining licenses through fraud.

Farm animals can be useful, beautiful and even fun, but they can also be predictable and cause serious injuries and fatalities.

When the topic of farming hazards comes up, people may think about the dangers of certain farm equipment, such as tractors and other types of heavy machinery, but they may not realize that many of the animals commonly found on a farm can be dangerous as well. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated, farming has long been one of the most dangerous industries in the U.S. Unlike most other professions, family members can also be at risk in the agricultural business, since families tend to live on the farm site and share many of the dangerous chores. Anyone can be at risk when working with the variety of animals present on a farm, but younger and more inexperienced workers are particularly vulnerable.

Farm animals are typically large and, while domesticated, are not always docile or predictable. According to the University of Illinois Extension, since 1986 at least eight people have been killed in farm accidents while working with livestock, and many more may have been seriously injured. Some of the fatal accidents included a worker being charged by a bull, another worker being butted into a fence by a cow and a farmer who was trampled by agitated cattle while trying to free a trapped calf.

The commuting rule and its exceptions

Workers' compensation provides benefits to employees experiencing work-related injuries, which benefits are paid without regard to fault. In other words, this system, which is administratively managed, takes the place of the court system, where one is required to file a civil lawsuit and prove that the other party intentionally or negligently (that is, recklessly) caused their injuries. More specifically, as stated by the state Workers' Compensation Commission, it covers "accidents that arise out of and in the course of employment."

But what, exactly, is "the course of employment"? To take one situation, an employee who commutes to work is usually not regarded as being in the scope of employment. If such an employee has an accident while so commuting, he or she is normally on their own, and may not receive workers' compensation benefits.