Claimant’s Evidence Without a Physician’s Opinion on Impairment Insufficient to Support a Loss of Vision Award

BY: Janelle Matuszak, Esq.
In State ex rel. Beyer v. Autoneum North America, ___Ohio St.3d ____, 2019-Ohio-3714, claimant had an allowed claim for pneumoconiosis as a result of exposure to silica.  His treatment included long-term corticosteroid use which caused cataracts.  His claim was additionally allowed for bilateral cataract syndrome on a flow-through basis.  The claimant filed a motion for a loss of vision of the right eye award pursuant to R.C. 4123.

Attorney Robert L. Solt, IV Joins Bugbee & Conkle

Bugbee & Conkle proudly welcomes Robert L. Solt, IV to our law firm. Rob represents employers in all aspects of workers’ compensation law with a concentration in litigation. Prior to joining Bugbee & Conkle in 2019, Rob built and maintained a successful private law practice representing clients in civil and criminal litigation. Rob also spent several years with a local law firm where he served as the prosecutor for multiple jurisdictions and as a litigation associate.

Look In the Sky: It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s OSHA!

Unpreventable Employee Misconduct

BY: Carl Habekost, Esq.
Employers have a defense to an OSHA citation when the violation of a safety regulation was due to unpreventable employee misconduct.  There are four elements to the unpreventable employee misconduct defense that must be proven to vacate a citation.

Fall Protection in the Roofing and Construction Industry

BY: Carl Habekost, Esq.
The duty to have fall protection in the construction industry (OSHA section 1926.501) regularly tops the list of the most frequently cited OSHA standards.  But fall protection, although of paramount importance, is not the only requirement for roofing and construction companies in developing an effective safety program. In 2016, OSHA published “Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs in Construction.