MacMillan Plumbing v. Garber

Employer seeks review of an order of the Workers’ Compensation Board that applied the last injurious exposure rule to assign responsibility to employer for claimant’s occupational disease. We affirm.

Claimant began to experience a locking sensation in his right middle finger while employed by Willamette Industries in the 1980s. He also injured his back at Willamette and received treatment for that injury from a neurosurgeon, Dr. Newby. During a 1987 appointment for his back, claimant reported his finger problem to Newby. The doctor noted that problem in a report to Willamette:

“[T]hree weeks…