Accidents happen in the workplace. According to official federal government data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), more than 2.7 million workplace injuries were reported nationwide in 2020. Washington’s workers’ compensation laws help to ensure that people who were hurt on the job have access to medical coverage and…
Workers deserve safe conditions. Unfortunately, job-related accidents remain a serious issue throughout the country. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that nearly 900,000 American workers are forced to miss time due to a job-related injury or illness each year. If you are hurt on the job,…
Americans change jobs a lot more now than they did in decades past. According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average employee has worked for their current company for 4.1 years. A work-related accident does not stop life from moving forward. You could find yourself…
When proper safety precautions are not taken, a construction site can be a dangerous place for employees. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) reports that approximately one in five workplace fatalities happen at construction sites. Here, our Seattle construction site injury lawyers highlight five of the most common accidents…
The heatwave that hit western North America last month brought the region some of the hottest temperatures in recorded history. On June 28, 2021, Seattle hit a temperature of 108 degrees—the highest ever recorded in the city. Soon after, the weather station at the Mayfield Power Plant in Lewis County…
Unfortunately, fatal accidents remain too common at workplaces in Washington and throughout the United States. According to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), 77 workers were killed on the job in 2018, and 63 more were killed in workplace accidents in 2019. Fatal accidents were reported in…
Effective July 1, 2021, the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) will apply a 10.1 percent cost-of-living increase to time-loss, pension, and loss-of-earning power benefits. This is the single largest year-over-year increase in the average wage in Washington in recorded history. 2021-2022: Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) and Workers’ Comp Benefits The…
The COVID-19 pandemic put a significant strain on our healthcare workers and frontline workers. The Washington State Department of Health reports that more than 430,000 people have been infected with the virus statewide since the start of the pandemic. Healthcare workers and frontline workers have additional risks of exposure—and many…
On April 15th, 2021, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) announced that new workplace safety regulations for temporary workers are coming later this summer. Governor Jay Inslee has signed SHB 1206, a law designed to help protect our state’s temporary workers. In a “first-of-its-kind” law in the…
According to official state government data, approximately 120,000 workers’ compensation claims are filed in Washington each year, of which 75 percent are filed through Labor & Industries (L&I), and 25 percent are filed against self-insured employers. In some cases, an injury prevents a worker from returning to their previous position…