A recent report by the American Association of Family Practitioners noted that occupational diseases account for 860,000 illnesses and more than 60,000 deaths each year. They run the gamut of causes, everything from coal miners contracting black lung disease to assembly line workers in meat packing plants developing carpal tunnel syndrome.
While those examples are on the opposite spectrum of severity, they do have some things in common — they both cost employers a bundle in workers' compensation benefits and loss of production and are a paperwork nightmare for everyone involved.
Despite its prevalence throughout American businesses, many people do not fully understand all the ways occupational disease impacts the workers' compensation system, how it differs from a standard claim, or how it affects an employer.
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