Utilization review is an important factor in many Pennsylvania workers’ compensation cases. An employer, injured worker or insurer can make a utilization review request with the goal of determining whether the medical treatment being provided is in fact necessary and reasonable. Once the request is filed, the case will be sent to a utilization review […]

Certain occupations are more inherently dangerous than others. Pennsylvania’s coal mining industry was at one time the cause of many deaths and injuries, but today, the oil and gas drilling industry is regularly listed among the most dangerous. OSHA requires employers to control or mitigate identified hazards. Despite this, deaths and severe injuries in the […]

Jackknifing refers to the process during which and its trailer form an L or V shape as they veer off of the highway. Although such an accident can be fatal, there are steps that can be taken to prevent one from happening. For instance, truckers should check their trailers frequently while driving on Pennsylvania highways. […]

Many people in Pennsylvania may be interested in technologies that could improve driving safety. One company, ZF, is developing external airbags that cushion a car’s exterior in case of a crash in order to reduce the risk of injury or death. Every year, thousands of people across the country lose their lives in car crashes, […]

Many workers in Pennsylvania must deal with exposure to diesel exhaust. To help address the dangers of diesel exhaust exposure, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has published a fact sheet for employees in the oil and gas industry. For starters, it’s important to understand that short-term exposure to diesel exhaust can cause headaches and […]

Twenty-two years ago, Gregory Andrew Stapp, the founding attorney of Stapp Law, LLC, began practicing law. His goal was to stand up for injured people who suffered injuries because of someone else’s negligence. When he began his practice, he had no idea America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators® would someday select him as a member. This […]

From September 16 to 22, 2018, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance hosted its annual Brake Safety Week. The results of that inspection spree are now out and should be of interest to truckers and truck fleet owners in Pennsylvania. In all, the CVSA stopped 35,080 commercial vehicles across the U.S. and Canada. A total of […]

Employers in Pennsylvania, especially those in construction, should know that OSHA has kicked off one of its National Emphasis Program, this time on trenching and excavation safety. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 130 fatalities in trenching and excavation operations between 2011 and 2016. Eighty percent occurred in the private […]

Statistics for 2016 show that over 4,300 people died because of trucking accidents on the country’s highways. Over the past 20 years, the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended on 10 separate instances that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, needs to do something about requiring anti-crash technology on all big rig trucks. […]

Workers in Pennsylvania who deal with machinery and electricity are often at a higher risk of a serious on-the-job injury. This is one reason why lockout and tagout, or LOTO, rules are a major priority for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. LOTO is used when a piece of equipment or a power supply […]