The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a Naperville warehouse after 23 of its workers came down with COVID-19.
Outbreak After Work Luncheon
OSHA cited Midwest Warehouse and Distribution Systems Inc. for violating the general duty clause when it failed to take appropriate steps to combat a COVID-19 outbreak last year. In October 2020, the facility’s employees were gathered at an onsite breakroom to attend a luncheon. According to a statement released by OSHA on April 27, 2021, multiple workers at the Naperville warehouse began testing positive for COVID-19 a few days after the event.
By November 9, 23 of the facility’s employees had tested positive for the coronavirus, with one worker dying from COVID-19 complications on November 4. OSHA investigators found that the Naperville warehouse had failed to take steps to inform, identify, isolate, and quarantine workers who had potentially been exposed once the facility received reports of coronavirus cases.
OSHA has proposed a penalty of $12,288.00 for the citation. The Naperville warehouse will have 15 business days to contest the agency’s findings.
Helping Workplace Victims of COVID-19
If you contract COVID-19 in the workplace in Illinois, you might be eligible to obtain workers’ compensation benefits. Nevertheless, workers’ compensation claims for illnesses may be more challenging than those that stem from traumatic work accidents. This is especially true in the case of COVID-19, which is so widespread and so easily transmitted. While certain classes of Illinois workers enjoy a “rebuttable presumption” that if they contract the coronavirus, they did so in the course of their employment, that has not prevented insurance companies from denying their claims at an especially high rate. In situations like these, it helps to have knowledgeable legal counsel to advocate for your interests, like the workers’ compensation attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers LLC.
With more than $2 billion recovered in verdicts and settlements, GWC is one of the premier Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury law firms in Illinois. For over four decades, our Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers have been fighting for injured people in practically every profession. GWC has the experience, the determination, the resources, and the proven record of success you need to help get you and your family the justice you deserve.
To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our dedicated injury attorneys, contact GWC today. You may call our office at (312) 464-1234 or click here to chat with a representative at any time.
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