It Figures

$3.2 Million

A Baldwin, Wis., man was awarded $3.2 million in a malpractice case after losing part of his left leg. Jim Lang went to Dr. Gregory Estlund in 2003 after injuring his leg while working at a factory in Hammond. Getting no relief, he returned to see Estlund at least four more times before seeing a specialist. He was taken into surgery the day he saw the specialist because of muscle and nerve damage and reduced blood flow. Lang never regained feeling in his lower leg, which was amputated in 2004. A St. Croix County jury found Estlund negligent in his treatment of Lang.

2.5 Percent

The North Dakota Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI) board of directors approved the 2008-2009 premium rate plan on May 22, 2008. While the new rating plan begins July 1, it calls for no change in statewide premium rates. Overall statewide premiums will rise by a combined 2.5 percent. This is a result of North Dakota’s payroll wage cap rising from $21,300 to $22,100 on July 1. In North Dakota employers only pay workers’ compensation premium on a worker’s wages up to the payroll wage cap.

2,050

A study of workplace accidents shows that Wednesday is the most dangerous day to be at work. A 2006 survey by the Kansas Department of Labor found that 2,050 of workplace injuries that required time off happened on Wednesdays. That’s about one-fifth of all such injuries in 2006. The lowest count was 530 on Sunday. The survey of 3,500 private employers found nearly 47,000 occupational injuries or illnesses occurred in 2006. Just over 10,000 of those mishaps involved employees missing days of work to recuperate. Men accounted for more than two-thirds of all missed-time injuries.