Workers’ Comp Covers Degenerative Disc Disease

A 46-year old worker’s disc degeneration was found to be a work-related injury covered by workers’ comp. Even though the condition developed gradually and not as a result of a discrete incident, the weight of the evidence, including medical records and the testimony of his doctor and chiropractor, showed that it was related to the worker’s job duties: The worker had operated a vibrating wheel cutter in a sitting position in 3- to 14-hour stints over a period of 13 years, the panel reasoned [2015-0780 (Re),  2015 CanLII 65526 (AB WCAC), Oct. 10, 2015].