Boeing Corporation recently settled a suit by a former American Airlines worker who claimed she has suffered from multiple complications after being exposed to toxic fumes in the cabin.  Terry Williams now suffers from a range of symptoms, from memory loss to sever headaches.  What is particularly... (Read More)

Over the past week we have been following developments on the Labor Department’s crackdown on improper classification of workers, followed by the IRS’s announcement that a new program, the Voluntary Classification Settlement Program, will extend an opportunity for businesses to reclassify those ... (Read More)

City Council Meeting on Paid Sick LeaveOn September 12, the Seattle City Council approved Council Bill 117216, which requires businesses to provide paid sick leave and safe time to employees. The new requirement will apply to all employers with five or more employees who perform work in Seattle; wor... (Read More)

Earlier today, the IRS announced a new “Voluntary Classification Settlement Program” (VCSP), which will extend a break to businesses that come forward to admit improperly classifying workers as independent contractors to evade federal payroll taxes. As we reported earlier this morning in our ... (Read More)

According the New York Daily News, a Yale University student was killed in an accident at a chemistry lab when her hair was drawn into a piece of lab machinery.  According to official reports, when fire firefighters responded around 2:30 a.m., they discovered the Michele Dufault sitting at a lath... (Read More)

In this Blog we often note the dangers of occupations that mix physical labor and heavy machinery.  Jobs in construction, maintenance, and agriculture present clear dangers to workers through mixing heavy physical demands and close proximity to powerful machinery.  However, a less noted danger... (Read More)

Weldlok and Fluid Tech Hyrdaulics Pty Ltd, two Australian companies, have been hit with fines after a worker suffered devastating injuries related to failures in safety protocols. Each state in Australia is covered by a different regional workers compensation system.  The WorkCover Authority of ... (Read More)

On July 21, the State of Florida took a concrete step toward protecting the rights of consumers against the corporate might of the insurance industry.  Jeff Atwater, State Chief Financial Officer, announced that insurance industry "watchdog" Robin Westcott would serve as Insurance Consumer Advocat... (Read More)

Nearly 30 million Americans are exposed to dangerous levels of noise in the workplace, and occupational hearing loss affects large numbers of Washington workers across a variety of workplaces. Sometimes permanent hearing loss occurs all at once from a single, isolated incident (such as a worker bein... (Read More)

Construction site jobs are among the most dangerous work in the U.S.  Each year, thousands of Washington workers are seriously injured or killed in construction site accidents.  Some of the most frequent injuries include falling, crane accidents, scaffolding accidents, hazards from compressed gase... (Read More)