Court Upholds VSSR Award to Mechanic Who Lost Hand in Conveyor Belt Accident

An Ohio appellate court upheld an award of enhanced benefits to a worker who lost a hand in a conveyor belt accident, finding the worker's accident was the result of his employer's violation of specific safety requirements pertaining to the location of emergency shut-off switches. Case: State ex rel. Ohio Paperboard v. Industrial Commission, No. 15AP-871, 09/27/2016, published. Facts: John S. Ruckman worked at a paper mill owned by Ohio Paperboard, and once a week, he performed preventative maintenance on a bale conveyor. To perform this preventative maintenance, Ruckman h...