Texas Workers' Comp Commissioner Approves 11 Firms to Self-Insure

February 23, 2006

Texas Commissioner of Workers' Compensation Albert Betts recently approved the reapplications for Certificates of Authority to Self-Insure covering a one-year period for 11 private employers.

Texas law allows certain large, private employers to self-insure for their workers' compensation liabilities, while retaining the protection of workers' compensation insurance coverage as provided by the Texas Workers' Compensation Act. Each of these employers must have a minimum workers' compensation manual premium of $500,000 and meet other requirements to be approved as a Certified Self-Insurer in Texas. The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation's Self-Insurance Program is the approved program in Texas for certifying companies to self insure.

Commissioner Betts approved Certificates of Authority to Self-Insure for the following companies that employ a total of 32,201 workers in Texas. The companies are listed in alphabetical order with the city and state of the company headquarters:

--Emerson Electric Co., St. Louis, Mo.
--FedEx Freight East, Inc., Harrison, Ark.
--Guardian Industries Corp., Auburn Hills, Mich.
--International Paper Company, Memphis, Tenn.
--Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, Portland, Ore.
--Lowe's Home Centers, Inc., Mooresville, N.C.
--The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio
--Textron, Inc., Providence, R.I.
--Valero Energy Corporation, San Antonio, Texas
--Watkins Associated Industries, Inc., Lakeland, Fla.
--Weyerhaeuser Company, Federal Way, Wash.