Workers’ compensation insurers have slashed spending on opioids, reducing the risk of addiction and delayed recovery, but now they are under increasing pressure to reimburse injured workers for a new kind of elixir. Six states now allow or require insurers …
As a young man, Barry Shrewsbury dug coal in the West Virginia mines and spent his time off hunting and fishing in the rolling hills. Now, at 62, he struggles to breathe and accomplish basic tasks such as shopping and …
A new research letter published in a medical journal details hundreds of cases of black lung disease in the Central Appalachian coalfields. Three clinics in southwestern Virginia identified 416 coal miners with the disease from January 2013 to February 2017, …
When managers at Bon Secours Virginia Health System started analyzing worker’s compensation cases, they noticed a bad combination: Lifting heavy and sicker patients was taking a toll on older nurses. “We saw an increase in back injuries and older workers …
New data show many more coal miners across Appalachia suffering from the most serious form of black lung disease than federal regulators previously reported. National Public Radio reported Friday that its investigation shows cases 10 times more prevalent, with data …
A spike in serious black-lung cases in eastern Kentucky indicates that a disease lawmakers hoped to eradicate decades ago continues to afflict miners. Citing a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report released Dec. 15, the Lexington Herald-Leader says …
A center at the University of Kentucky is receiving a five-year, $5 million grant to improve occupational health and safety in central Appalachia and Kentucky. UK said the region reports higher rates of occupational injuries and fatalities than the rest …
The Obama administration is investigating the health risks of hydraulic fracturing after at least four deaths among oilfield workers since 2010 in North Dakota and Montana. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said the workers were exposed to …
They weren’t exposed to anywhere near the same level of ash, grit and fumes, but emergency workers who rushed to the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania countryside on 9/11 are signing up for the same compensation and health benefits being given …
Workers with access to paid sick leave are 28 percent less likely overall to suffer nonfatal occupational injuries than workers without access to paid sick leave, according to a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study. The study …
