The Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (BIIA) in Washington State The Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals is part of Washington State's workers' compensation system. It serves as an independent administrative agency responsible for hearing appeals of decisions made by the Department of Labor...
Washington state has long been known for the strength of its labor unions. With nearly 20 percent of its workforce (almost 650,000 people) belonging to a union last year the state ranked No. 3 in the country for union membership, according to data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. It came ...
In Washington State, truck drivers experience among the highest rates of workplace injuries, according to a new report from the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). Every year, 1 in 13 truck drivers suffers from a work-related injury serious enough to require missed days of work. The r...
A lot of Americans wouldn't dream of missing medical appointments or their annual physicals. And yet those same individuals repeatedly compromise their health – and may even shorten their life-span – by skipping annual vacations! This lack of R&R can put us at risk of many ailments and di...
Over 40 million American workers receive no paid sick leave. These individuals must work when ill or take unpaid days off, which can cause financial hardship, and, sometimes, dismissal. As a recent editorial in the New York Times argues, “the best way to address this workplace and public health pr...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a branch of the Department of Labor, has announced a new “National Emphasis Program for Nursing and Residential Care Facilities.” This initiative aims are protecting workers from safety and health hazards commonly found in the medical ind...
The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is currently looking for workers and employers with an innovative idea for helping injured workers quickly get back on the job following an injury. If you have a creative proposal, L&I wants to hear from you, and plans to offer financial support...
Part two in our Labor Day series. In our recent post on the working poor in America, we discussed our broken economy’s inability to provide enough decent jobs for millions of Americans who are unemployed, underemployed, uninsured, or living in poverty.  As we celebrate Labor Day this comin...
In a recent article we discussed ways that excessive workplace stress can compromise a workers’ health, both physically and emotionally. High workplace stress can be triggered by a work-related injury or illness, or caused by fear of being laid off; putting in additional overtime hours because of ...
In observation of Worker's Memorial Day today, the Workers Compensation Attorneys at Emery Reddy commemorate the 69 individuals who died in Washington State last year as a result of job-related injuries and illnesses. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to families, friends and co-workers, and our deepe...