Colorado Workers' Compensation Law Blog

The Niobrara Shale is just one of the many natural gas repositories that have brought a new wave of extraction work to Colorado.

The extraction method, called "hydraulic fracturing" or "fracking," involves pumping a mix of pressurized water, sand and chemicals into wells to create fractures from which gas can be extracted. The process allows for the extraction of gas that could not previously be reached. However, just as with older methods of oil and gas extraction, it comes with significant risks of workplace injuries.

Throughout the United States, approximately 350,000 people work in nail salons or similar establishments. Nail technicians, 96 percent of whom are women, provide customers with manicures, pedicures and other beauty-enhancing services.

Unfortunately, the work these people do may be putting them at risk for developing serious occupational diseases.

Every day, nail technicians work with nail polish, solvents and other nail-care products. Some of these products contain chemicals that can be hazardous to health in cases of long-term exposure. As a group, nail technicians report higher than average instances of headaches, skin irritations and respiratory problems.

When most people think about workers' compensation claims, they imagine a worker who suffered a physical injury after some sort of on-the-job accident. In reality, though, the scope of permissible Colorado workers' compensation claims is much broader. For example, workers may be able to recover compensation after becoming ill as a result of exposure to hazardous or toxic substances in the workplace.

Recently, several employees at a nursing home in Loveland have filed for workers' compensation, claiming that they became ill as a result of being exposed to toxic mold.

A Denver-area worker died last week after being buried alive under a 20-foot high pile of loose pinto beans. The pile apparently weighed several tons.

At this point, authorities are still unsure as to why the pile of pinto beans collapsed and how the warehouse worker ultimately became trapped underneath it. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident, along with safety inspectors from Kelly Bean Co., the company that operated the warehouse.