BACK AND NECK INJURIES PROPERLY RULED AN OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE RESULTING FROM REPETITIVE LIFTING AND CARRYING (THIRD DEPT).
The Third Department determined claimant demonstrated his back and neck injuries constituted an occupational disease related to his lifting and mix heavy containers of compound and applying the compound to walls and ceilings:
“In order for an occupational disease to be established, the claimant must establish a recognizable link between his or her condition and a distinctive feature of his or her employment”… . Claimant testified that his job required lifting and carrying containers of plastering compound weighing roughly 50 pounds and using the compound to hang sheetrock for eight hours a day, five or six days a week, for over 30 years. Samuel Kim, a neurosurgeon, opined that claimant suffered from chronic neck and back pain and degenerative disc disease in his cervical and lumbar spine and that the condition was consistent with a history of repetitive movement, and Yong Kim, claimant’s treating physician, attributed claimant’s back pain to “repetitive use at work.” In light of the foregoing, and given that no contrary medical opinions were presented, the Board’s determination that claimant suffered from an occupational disease resulting from repetitive stress is supported by substantial evidence and will not be disturbed … . Matter of Garcia v MCI Interiors, Inc., 2018 NY Slip Op 00873, Third Dept 2-8-18
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LAW (OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE, BACK AND NECK INJURIES PROPERLY RULED AN OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE RESULTING FROM REPETITIVE LIFTING AND CARRYING (THIRD DEPT))/OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE (WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LAW, BACK AND NECK INJURIES PROPERLY RULED AN OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE RESULTING FROM REPETITIVE LIFTING AND CARRYING (THIRD DEPT))