Should this be an approved worker's comp claim?

[abckidsmom]

About 3 weeks ago, my husband's partner came to work for two days sick with a fever, body aches and chills wacko. They spent a total of 48 hours on the ambulance sharing air and a radio headset with a mic that sits right in front of your mouth. Then she was diagnosed with mono, and has been out from work since then.

He came down sick Wednesday, and guess what? Mono.

We just had a baby, a total of 5 kids in the house. I'm just so angry with her I want to kick her from here to Montana. The 3 yo has had "viral illness" symptoms for almost a week, haven't taken her to the ped, but looks like mono from the wikipedia article, right down to the pain from a swollen spleen.

I want my husband to ask for this to be covered under worker's comp, and for them to make some kind of statement about coming to work sick (again). He's completely out of sick time because of the paternity leave he took. I'm just shaking my head at this girl coming to work sick. Good grief.

What do you think?

 

[medic417]

HMMM The kissing disease. Got a good lawyer? Just kidding.

No not workers comp as he could have caught this anywhere. Plus if everybody with fever, cough etc stayed home every time then there would be no workers at any place.

 

[abckidsmom]

HMMM The kissing disease. Got a good lawyer? Just kidding.

No not workers comp as he could have caught this anywhere. Plus if everybody with fever, cough etc stayed home every time then there would be no workers at any place.

Yeah, right? It would be a female partner, right?

I would say that cough, runny nose, just not feeling well are ok to take around with you wherever you go, but with a fever, I think you should stay home. Any "you" not just you personally. I don't want my grocery store checker to be working sick, and not my medic either.

 

[fma08]

Or any medical personnel for that matter... No idea though if it should be workman's comp.

 

[VentMedic]

About 3 weeks ago, my husband's partner came to work for two days sick with a fever, body aches and chills wacko. They spent a total of 48 hours on the ambulance sharing air and a radio headset with a mic that sits right in front of your mouth.

Your husband also had some responsibility in this. If he knew for 2 days that his partner was sick and with a fever, he should have requested that she be taken off duty. After all, there have been numerous announcements issued by Public Health departments about health care employees not working while ill especially with the flu potential. Now, your husband and his partner may also have exposed immunosuppressed patients to the possibility of a serious illness and even the possibility of death. And yes, your husband played a role in that also by again not requesting her to be taken off the duty roster.

Granted some in EMS get very little education about infection control but commonsense should have prevailed on this one. If his partner had been a patient would your husband have not been more cautious?

 

[abckidsmom]

Your husband also had some responsibility in this. If he knew for 2 days that his partner was sick and with a fever, he should have requested that she be taken off duty. After all, there have been numerous announcements issued by Public Health departments about health care employees not working while ill especially with the flu potential. Now, your husband and his partner may also have exposed immunosuppressed patients to the possibility of a serious illness and even the possibility of death. And yes, your husband played a role in that also by again not requesting her to be taken off the duty roster.

Granted some in EMS get very little education about infection control but commonsense should have prevailed on this one. If his partner had been a patient would your husband have not been more cautious?

Yeah, I just read your post to him. He says it's a fire based system and he's just a peon, the officers make the decisions.

One more reason to get EMS out of the fire dept, I guess...He says she was sent home during the shift the second day. I somehow missed that.

 

[VentMedic]

Yeah, I just read your post to him. He says it's a fire based system and he's just a peon, the officers make the decisions.

One more reason to get EMS out of the fire dept, I guess...He says she was sent home during the shift the second day. I somehow missed that.

I don't buy that one. The FDs get the same notices and must observe the same Public Health warnings. If we (when I was a Fire Paramedic) came to work sick, 1. we would be in serious trouble with scheduling at late notice when they pulled you of the truck and 2. we could be rotated to an engine and out of the Paramedic truck. There is just one little problem with that, FFs should be 100% to perform fire fighting duties also. In fact, FDs take safety seriously. Our FDs have been doing EMS since the 1960s and we do take EMS very seriously as well.

Besides, you stated this went on for TWO days. I glad she did finally get sent home. Your husband should have spoken earlier instead of just taking it that the FD doesn't care about "peons".

 

[abckidsmom]

I don't buy that one. The FDs get the same notices and must observe the same Public Health warnings. If we (when I was a Fire Paramedic) came to work sick, 1. we would be in serious trouble with scheduling at late notice when they pulled you of the truck and 2. we could be rotated to an engine and out of the Paramedic truck. There is just one little problem with that, FFs should be 100% to perform fire fighting duties also. In fact, FDs take safety seriously. Our FDs have been doing EMS since the 1960s and we do take EMS very seriously as well.

Besides, you stated this went on for TWO days. I glad she did finally get sent home. Your husband should have spoken earlier instead of just taking it that the FD doesn't care about "peons".

It was a sarcastic comment, not a defensive one. Sure he has some culpability, but the fact is, she wasn't sent home the first day. He mentioned her being sick to his officer, and she wasn't sent home. I don't think she should have been transferred to a fire piece either, just sent home.

And I wish she would have just stayed home in the first place.

 

[VentMedic]

If he can document exactly what he said to the officer and that he stated she should not be on duty, then he might have a case.

 

[medic417]

If he can document exactly what he said to the officer and that he stated she should not be on duty, then he might have a case.

Causing waves over this may lead to him missing promotions or worse losing a job. I know no retaliation but in the real world it happens daily.

 

[abckidsmom]

Causing waves over this may lead to him missing promotions or worse losing a job. I know no retaliation but in the real world it happens daily.

So what would you do if you were in the situation where you needed a month off work but only had 2.5 days of leave left? We're needing to find 7.5 more days of leave to cover it, and hoping that he's better by then.

His doctor has told him that strenuous activity puts him at a much higher risk of splenic rupture.

ETA: Just asking, cause causing waves really *is* attracting too much attention.

 

[el Murpharino]

He should get the officers sick...maybe he could cough on their phones or radio microphones.

/revenge motive

 

[medic417]

He could try it. Fire service is really a good old boy system until you complain or claim injury or illness. Then the good old boys tend to find ways to remove. But hopefully not in his case but be prepared for a job change after released to work.

Does the service pool excess sick leave? If so could he apply for that? I just don't see workers comp paying out on a common illness even if documented exposed by a co worker.

 

[abckidsmom]

He could try it. Fire service is really a good old boy system until you complain or claim injury or illness. Then the good old boys tend to find ways to remove. But hopefully not in his case but be prepared for a job change after released to work.

Does the service pool excess sick leave? If so could he apply for that? I just don't see workers comp paying out on a common illness even if documented exposed by a co worker.

Sometimes people can donate sick leave to others, and he's relatively well-likes, I imagine people would donate. This is a weekend, though, and we're just brainstorming how we're going to be managing over here. I don't work anymore, and can't right now anyway because I'm post-partum.

 

[abckidsmom]

He should get the officers sick...maybe he could cough on their phones or radio microphones.

/revenge motive

Or maybe go over and chop off the partner's legs.

/mama bear revenge motive when you bring a virus into my house with my newborn

 

[medic417]

Sometimes people can donate sick leave to others, and he's relatively well-likes, I imagine people would donate. This is a weekend, though, and we're just brainstorming how we're going to be managing over here. I don't work anymore, and can't right now anyway because I'm post-partum.

Wouldn't hurt to ask about both options. But always be making contacts elsewhere in case job disappears. Hopefully it wont.

I have been hurt seriously twice on the job. First time all of a sudden I went from award winner to worst employee and let go not very long after my return. Second time company even fought with the insurance company because they were not paying me correctly during the months off after surgery. I got promotion shortly after return and have had no problems. Sadly though I have heard many more examples like what happened to me my first injury.

So my advice is more just as a precaution. But if no work for a month and if you guys are not rich I would definitely see what hep he qualifies for so you feed the kids. Also no shame in seeking temporary food stamp help.

 

[Sasha]

I've got to ask.. Isn't mono transmitted through saliva? He knew she was sick but didn't take steps to protect himself, and then steps at home to protect his family?

 

[abckidsmom]

I've got to ask.. Isn't mono transmitted through saliva? He knew she was sick but didn't take steps to protect himself, and then steps at home to protect his family?

Well, we are pretty loose with drinking after each other around here, unfortunately. And he's notorious for drinking straight out of the lemonade/juice/milk container. And mono incubates for 3-7 weeks, so I had no idea of any of this till he came down sick, and he didn't either till his dr included mono on the list of things he was ruling out.

Now, trading spit with your partner? I know for sure he wasn't kissing her (not his type ) but there is that "sharing a radio mic" thing.

 

[akflightmedic]

I've got to ask.. Isn't mono transmitted through saliva? He knew she was sick but didn't take steps to protect himself, and then steps at home to protect his family?

How is mono spread?

Mono is usually spread by person-to-person contact. Saliva is the primary method of transmitting mono. Infectious mononucleosis developed its common name of "kissing disease" from this prevalent form of transmission among teenagers. A person with mono can also pass the disease by coughing or sneezing, causing small droplets of infected saliva and/or mucus to be suspended in the air which can be inhaled by others. Sharing food or beverages from the same container or utensil can also transfer the virus from one person to another since contact with infected saliva may result.

http://www.medicinenet.com/infectious_mononucleosis/article.htm#2howis

 

[abckidsmom]

So my advice is more just as a precaution. But if no work for a month and if you guys are not rich I would definitely see what hep he qualifies for so you feed the kids. Also no shame in seeking temporary food stamp help.

I hear ya on the job security thing. We'll be ok one way or another. His job is pretty secure. He's the epitome of "non-complainer." They use him as the fill-in guy, switch him from station to station and from different pieces of equipment up to 4 times each shift. Stuff like that makes everybody else complain.