Two Worker Deaths in One Week at Montaplast Plant in Frankfort Another worker tragedy, the second in less than a week, has occurred at the Montaplast of North America, Inc. plant in Franklin County. Initial reports say a production engineer died from an electrical shock while another worker is being treated for serious electrical injuries.... read more
Black Lung Benefits Take a Hit from State Workers’ Compensation Measure Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP), also known as black lung disease, is a complicated fatal disease that has been responsible for the deaths of about 78,000 coal miners since the late 1960s. A new tweak to a Kentucky law has caused an uproar with coal... read more
Workers’ Comp Program Supports Young Workers Almost every employee in Kentucky is covered by the commonwealth’s Workers’ Compensation Law, including minors. Kentucky’s Department of Workers’ Claims, which is attached to the Labor Cabinet, administers the workers’ compensation program. The department has reported in its Fiscal Year 2016- 2017 Annual Report, there were 391 injuries to... read more
New Data Reveals Kentucky’s Workers May Be Getting Hurt Less Often For the first time in Kentucky’s labor history, the state has reached the lowest rate of nonfatal workplace incidents. The most recent data (2016) supporting this claim was released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Bureau’s report showed that Kentucky’s rate of... read more
Kentucky Welders Who Work in Mines May Have High Exposure Risk to Welding Fumes The Mine Safety and Health Administration has created plenty of rules and safety policies for welders who work in mines to know about the exposure risks to the many hazardous substances found in welding fumes. Unfortunately, with many companies, employers are... read more
Federal Investigation Cites Inadequate Safety Guards Caused Kentucky Miner’s Death After months of investigating, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) released the report on Ray Hatfield Jr.’s January 26th mining-related death. Hatfield was killed when his clothing got caught up within a roller shaft while he was shoveling loose coal from under the... read more
Understanding Kentucky’s Workers’ Comp Coverage Workers injured on the job in Kentucky, are covered by the state’s workers’ compensation laws – with few exceptions for independent contractors, domestic workers, and most volunteers. Workers’ compensation provides injured workers with compensation for medical costs, temporary disability, or permanent disability if lingering injuries or impairments are present. State... read more
On January 19, 2016, Nathan Phillips was crushed to death by mining machinery at Webster County Coal’s Dotiki underground mine. He was moving a continuous mining machine when the conveyor boom on the back swung and hit him in the chest. Phillips was pinned to the side of the mine by the heavy equipment, which... read more
