We are seeing more common work injuries in our area due to the type of economic growth happening in our area. Central Pennsylvania has witnessed a boom in warehouse and distribution center development. You can see the growth along Interstate 81 in Greencastle, Chambersburg, Shippensburg, Newville, and Carlisle. With that development comes labor intensive jobs and ultimately an increase in work-related injuries. First, let me say this. Whether you work for the actual distribution center or through a temporary agency…
Forklift accidents can certainly cause serious injuries for people working in warehouses throughout Central Pennsylvania. Looking up and down Interstate 81 from Greencastle to Chambersburg to Carlisle and north, warehouses and distribution centers blanket the landscape. They produce jobs, which is a big reason that Central Pennsylvania can boast a low unemployment rate. The growth of warehousing along Interstate 81 continues. However, warehouses also bring more work injuries to a community. You can read about common warehouse injuries right…
A crane accident at the Manitowoc plant in Shady Grove, PA has killed a workers and injured several others. The accident occurred today at around 830 AM. “There's definitely a serious accident with a fatality involved. That's all I can tell you at this time,” Warner said around 9:30 this morning. The Franklin County Coroner and Pennsylvania State Police were called to the scene on the Manitowoc property that fronts Route 16 in Shady Grove, between Greencastle and Waynesboro. Manitowoc…
I was recently a guest on ABC 27 in Harrisburg on Good Day PA to discuss Social Security Disability. Specifically, I discussed with Amy Kehm, the host of Good Day PA, why applicants for Social Security Disability benefits who have been denied benefits, needs experienced attorney to represent them before the Social Security Administrative Law Judge. Contrary to popular opinion, winning Social Security Disability cases is no east task. Pressure is on Social Security ALJs to deny benefits. You can…
I hear from every client their disbelief of the wait time to receive a hearing on their Social Security Disability appeal. It is frightening for folks who have no income or limited income and can’t function normally or work. However, it is also a reality. And, it is not just the Harrisburg Office of Adjudication and Review, which handles Social Security Disability appeals, that has the backlog wait time. It is a national problem.
Mooney & Associates representing social security clients
Here are the current numbers. (As of July 2016)
HEARING LOCATION
HEARING WAIT TIME
Elkins Park, PA
20.0 Months
Harrisburg
19.3 Months
Johnstown
19 Months
Philadelphia
20.5 Months
Philadelphia East
20 Months
Pittsburgh
21 Months
Seven Field, PA
18 Months
Wilkes Barre
16.5 Months
Pennsylvania State Average
19.3 Months
Baltimore, MD
21 Months
NHC Baltimore
19 Months
Maryland State Average
20 Months
As you can see, the Harrisburg ODAR office is trending right near the Pennsylvania state average, but above the National average. There may be some relief in sight though. Harrisburg has recently added three new Administrative Law Judges, which should help reduce the wait time to around the National average. Bottom line is, even with new ALJ’s on the way, if you have been denied Social Security Disability and you appeal, you SHOULD NOT expect to have a hearing for at least 16 months. (more…)
South Central Pennsylvania is one of the fastest booming areas in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, especially in warehouses. In fact, several of the counties that we serve are listed among the Top 15 in Pennsylvania for population growth from 2010 to 2014. Those counties are: Cumberland (1st), Lancaster (4th), Franklin (6th), and Dauphin (15th). That leads to jobs, but also to common warehouse injuries.
Common warehouse injuries in Pennsylvania
Warehousing Growth in Central Pennsylvania
A large part of the growth that has occurred in Central Pennsylvania can be directly attributed to the warehousing and manufacturing development along the interstate 81 Corridor, from Greencastle, PA up through Dauphin County. We’ve seen a recent boom, such as the development of Food Lion Distribution and World Kitchen in Greencastle, Chambersburg area warehouse development, which includes, Target, Ulta, K Mart, and Staples, new warehouses in Shippensburg, which includes, Procter & Gamble and Georgia Pacific, newer warehouses in Carlisle, which includes, Giant Foods, Ross Distribution, AMES distribution, Office Depot, Ryder, Amazon, OHL, and Lindt Chocolate. Those are just a few. These warehouse operations employ many people through South Central Pennsylvania. Additionally, there is more warehousing growth set for Carlisle (Exit 44 off I-81) and Shippensburg (Exit 24 and 29 off I-81). (more…)
The Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA) has reported on its first year of the severe work injury reporting program. All Employers throughout the country are required now to report severe work place injuries. Specifically, Now, under a requirement that took effect Jan. 1, 2015, employers must report to OSHA within 24 hours any work-related amputation, in-patient hospitalization, or loss of eye Of the injuries reported last year, here is the breakdown provided in the OSHA report. "Employers reported 10,388…
Is an injured workers who works for a temporary agency covered by workers compensation benefits? Its a question I am often asked. The answer is --- more than likely, yes. There are some instances where an individual working for a staffing agency may very well be an independent contractor, and thus not covered by the Workers Compensation Act. We can help answer those questions for you. However, in most instances, especially in our area, you will likely be covered with…
I see many shoulder injuries in my workers compensation practice. These types of injuries generally are centered around warehouses and distribution centers, trucking terminals, nursing care facilities, and manufacturing type facilities. These type of work-related injuries can be specific type of injuries or repetitive type injuries. Injuries to the shoulder can happen in specific events, such as lifting items overhead and feeling a 'pop' or feeling immediate pain in the shoulder area when pushing or pulling something heavy, or falling…
Pennsylvania's unemployment rate remained unchanged for the month of June. The overall unemployment rate in Pennsylvania remained at 5.6%. The jobless rate was 5.6 percent in June, the same as in May, and employers added a meager 1,800 jobs, according to the Department of Labor & Industry monthly work force report. The number of Pennsylvanians who reported they were unemployed fell by a seasonally adjusted 6,000 to 357,000, the report showed. But the civilian labor force declined by 28,000 people…
