The Arkansas Court of Appeals has reversed a determination by the state’s Workers’ Compensation Commission that an injured construction worker was an employee of a contractor he sued after he was struck by a truck driven by one of the company’s workers. The appeals court ruled Wednesday that the commission was wrong to find that …
Injured asphalt worker not employee of second contractor on job site: Court Read More »
Reducing the rung spacing of firetruck aerial ladders could help cut down on firefighter injuries, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health said in a report. Reducing the rung spacing from 14 inches to 12 inches could lower muscle and joint stress, improve climbing efficiency and improve …
Tighter ladder rung spacing could decrease firefighter injuries: Study Read More »
Ohio lawmakers are considering a bill that would provide workers compensation coverage for testing when medical professionals are exposed to chemical substances or bodily fluids in the course of employment. S.B. 106, introduced Tuesday, adds physicians and registered nurses as qualifying professions under the state’s existing law providing testing for first responders exposed to chemicals …
Ohio considers adding medical personnel to chemical exposure compensability Read More »
The family of a woman who was among seven workers killed when a natural gas line exploded at a chocolate factory in West Reading, Pennsylvania, in March is suing the employer and 10 other defendants for wrongful death. According to the suit, filed Tuesday in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, the owners …
Family of woman killed in chocolate factory explosion sues employer Read More »
Rising Medical Solutions LLC, a Chicago-based workers compensation managed care firm, announced Wednesday that it has acquired Carmel, Indiana-based regional case management company Preferred Disability Management LLC. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Preferred Disability’s nurse case managers have expertise in community hospitals, physicians, therapists and other service providers that work in the …
Rising Medical Solutions buys disability management firm Read More »
The Appellate Court of Connecticut ruled the state’s workers compensation commissioner wrongly denied comp benefits to a police chief on the erroneous belief that his retirement as a patrol officer before his elevation to chief constituted a break in his employment status and barred him from benefits. The appeals court on Tuesday overturned a …
Police chief wrongly denied comp benefits: Conn. appeals court Read More »
Officials tasked with overseeing the workers compensation program for federal workers say they have created an effective pharmacy benefits management program that addresses concerns raised in a scathing report that found millions in overspending and prescriptions written for notoriously deadly fentanyl. A U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General audit of the Office of …
Federal comp agency says pharmacy program addresses audit concerns Read More »
The Iowa Supreme Court ruled the widower of a woman who died following a permanent work injury was entitled to collect workers compensation death benefits even though the couple was separated at the time of the death. In a Friday decision, the court determined Roger Blasdell was entitled to receive death benefits after Heather Blasdell …
Spousal desertion wrongly applied when husband denied death benefits Read More »
Pennsylvania lawmakers have proposed amending the utilization review process in the state’s workers compensation system. House Bill 881, introduced Tuesday, would amend the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act by mandating that requests for utilization review in injured worker claims be assigned only to organizations that are nationally accredited to handle utilization review issues for workers comp …
Utilization review accreditation bill filed in Pennsylvania Read More »
The Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission has vacated a citation and $19,114 in fines against a California contractor after the death of a painter who was crushed by a heavy gate at a casino loading dock. In a decision filed March 6 and publicized Thursday, the commission determined OSHA failed to prove that San …
Citation, fines over painter’s crushing death vacated Read More »