Workers Comp

Injured workers self-reporting anxiety and depression increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with numbers jumping “significantly” between 2019 and 2020 and not returning to pre-pandemic rates in 2022 as the pandemic waned, according to an industry trends report released Tuesday by Medrisk Inc. In 2019, 24.4% of injured workers reported they had anxiety, …

Depression, anxiety increase among injured workers: Medrisk Read More »

Some types of non-opioid anti-Inflammatory and anticonvulsant medications prescribed to injured workers have become “significant cost drivers” in workers comp, according to a report issued Monday by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute. CWCI’s analysis sought to identify non-opioid pain-relief medications with high average reimbursements that have an outsized impact on the total payments within their …

Report highlights high costs of alternatives to opioids Read More »

A New Hampshire roofing contractor is facing proposed fines of $234,741 after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration accused the company of failing to protect workers against fall hazards. OSHA on Monday announced citations for willful, repeat and safety violations against Derry, New Hampshire-based Ridge Runner Construction LLC over claims the contractor exposed employees to …

New Hampshire roofing contractor cited over fall hazards Read More »

Coal miners in the United States are at an increased risk of dying from lung diseases such as cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and death rates are higher for these workers than they are among the general U.S. population, according to new research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.   NIOSH …

Coal miners at greater mortality risk from lung disease than predecessors: Study Read More »

An appeals court in New Mexico ruled Thursday that an injured worker’s negligence lawsuit against a contractor regarding construction scaffolding that was overloaded and thus collapsed does not meet the legal bar for a lawsuit outside of exclusive remedy. Gildardo Camarena suffered permanent and serious bodily injury when a 95-foot-high scaffolding collapsed; he alleged in …

Overloaded scaffolding does not meet bar for negligence suit Read More »

Connecticut legislators have filed a bill that would penalize medical providers if they fail to timely respond to injured worker medical records requests. House Bill 6797, which was introduced on Friday, says that medical providers including hospitals and emergency medical service organizations who do not provide employees in workers comp cases with requested records about …

Bill would penalize medical providers for not honoring records requests Read More »

Texas lawmakers have proposed legislation that would impose a fee on workers compensation insurers in cases where injured workers fail or refuse to appear for independent medical examinations. House Bill 2702, which was filed Thursday, would mandate that insurers pay doctors a minimum of $100 when employees do not appear at scheduled medical exams in …

Insurers would pay fee for missed worker medical exams under Texas bill Read More »

E-commerce retailer Amazon was again cited for workplace safety violations after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration says the company failed to protect employees against musculoskeletal injuries, this time at a Colorado warehouse. OSHA on Thursday announced proposed penalties of $15,625 against Amazon after inspectors in August received an employee complaint related to processing speed …

Amazon cited for musculoskeletal hazards at Colorado facility Read More »

AssuredPartners’ CEO succession plan tops this week’s news. Also of note: PCF Insurance Services plans to continue its aggressive growth strategy following a $500 million equity investment. Source link

A California labor contractor must pay more than $460,000 in damages and penalties to hundreds of farmworkers who claimed the employer withheld their final paychecks and transportation expenses in violation of federal law, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ordered Salinas, California-based A. Oseguera …

California labor contractor ordered to pay seasonal farmworkers Read More »