According to a new report, Illinois is remarkably supportive of its workers in terms of workplace safety. The National Safety Council recently put out a study indicating Illinois as the highest ranked in the nation when it comes to safety in the workplace. The National Safety Council (NSC) publishes an annual report that assesses each state’s overall safety rating in various areas, and this year, Illinois came out among the very highest ranked.
Rating States
Each state is graded based on the measures, laws, and regulations it has in place to prevent deaths and other accidents in three categories: workplace, home, and community, and road safety. Upon assessing how well a state does in these areas, the NSC assigns a percentage and grade in each one. These grades are then put together into an overall grade.
Illinois has an overall grade of B, being one of only eight states to rank that high, which is impressive in its own right. It also ranked the highest in workplace safety with 73%, or an A grade, beating out its runner-up Washington by one percent. It also had an A in road safety, but a C in home and community safety due to opioid overdoses and similar factors.
Illinois and Workers’ Comp
Among the factors assessed when it comes to its workplace safety grade are the regulations Illinois has over workers’ compensation. The laws in the state are generally very favorable toward workers, offering generous compensation amounts in comparison with other states. While employees cannot sue their employer for an accident, they can receive compensation for time lost from work, medical expenses, and permanent disability. It is a no-fault system, which means workers can still get compensation even if they are partially at fault for the accident.
Importance of Workplace Safety
Obviously, workplace safety is highly important, and part of ensuring it means taking measures to prevent accidents. According to the report, the most common causes of preventable accidents are worker overexertion, trips, falls, and equipment-related incidents. Preventing these types of accidents is not only beneficial for employees, but it can also help employers as well. After all, providing compensation for workplace accidents can be expensive.
The costs are ultimately covered by the employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. Therefore, the more accidents that occur in the workplace, the higher the employer’s premiums will be, so it is in the best interest of employers to keep those accidents to a minimum.
Seeking Workers’ Compensation Coverage
The report does give a good insight into how well Illinois businesses take care of their employees, but it doesn’t necessarily show everything, of course. In some cases, an employer may go about things the wrong way by trying to minimize an employee’s injuries to reduce or deny coverage rather than work proactively to prevent those kinds of accidents in the first place.
For Chicago workers seeking workers’ compensation, legal assistance is often necessary. Workers’ compensation lawyers, such as us at Hart David Carson, LLP, can provide guidance and representation during this crucial process and ensure your rights are protected.