Latest Business Insurance Headlines
All the headlines from our Business Insurance Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Boeing Arrest Points to Workplace Drug Problem
Oct 4 2011 // The arrest of more than three dozen people on drug charges at a Boeing military aircraft plant highlights the growing problem of prescription drug abuse by U.S. workers, according to experts. Federal authorities last...
NFIB, EMPLOYERS Expand WC Program to Eight Additional States
Oct 3 2011 // The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has extended its discounted workers’ compensation coverage benefits to its members in Colorado, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Arkansas...
Workplace Deaths Drop 25% in Missouri
Oct 3 2011 // Fewer people are dying on the job in Missouri. The Department of Labor announced that there were 107 fatal work injuries in 2010 in Missouri, down 25 percent from 2009. Sixty of the victims died after being struck by...
Florida Commercial Lines Deregulation Law Takes Effect
Oct 3 2011 // Commercial insurers in Florida will no longer have to seek prior approval from state regulators before changing some of the rates they charge under a new law that took effect October 1. Earlier this year, Florida lawmakers...
Program to Lower Workers’ Comp Rates for New Employers in Ohio Approved
Oct 3 2011 // The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) board of directors has approved the creation of Grow Ohio, a program targeted toward job creation by lowering workers’ comp costs for employers new to Ohio, agency...
Virginia Workplace Deaths Decline
Oct 3 2011 // The number of workplace fatalities in Virginia last year fell to the lowest level since the state began reporting such data in 1992. The number of fatalities fell to 104 from 119 in 2009. The state Department of Labor and...
Ohio Workers’ Comp Bureau: Lower Rates for Public Employers Proposed
Sep 29 2011 // Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Administrator/CEO Stephen Buehrer has proposed an overall five percent decrease in rates for public employer taxing districts (PEC). The reduction would be effective Jan. 1,...
Workplace Fatalities Decline in Virginia
Sep 28 2011 // The number of workplace fatalities in Virginia last year fell to the lowest level since the state began reporting such data in 1992. The number of fatalities fell to 104 from 119 in 2009. The state Department of Labor and...
Facebook Policies Tricky for Employers, Employees
Sep 28 2011 // In the age of instant tweets and impulsive Facebook posts, some companies are still trying to figure out how they can limit what their employees say about work online without running afoul of the law. Confusion about what...
IRS Gives Employers Break on Misclassified Employees
Sep 23 2011 // The Internal Revenue Service is offering a break to employers who come clean about wrongly classifying workers as independent contractors to avoid paying federal payroll taxes, the agency announced this week. What happens...
The Hartford Launches Data Breach Coverage For Small Businesses
Sep 19 2011 // While data breaches at large companies continue to dominate the headlines, breaches involving smaller businesses are also on the rise. According to a 2011 report from Verizon Business of more than 760 data breaches...
Appalachian Underwriters Launches Commercial Lines Rater for Auto Dealers
Sep 19 2011 // Appalachian Underwriters, Inc. (AUI) launches a new commercial lines online rater for independent auto dealers, www.xpressdealerpro.com. Xpress DealerPro is the latest installment of enhancements to be integrated into...
California Passes Bill on Employer Rights in Workers’ Comp Arbitration
Sep 19 2011 // The California State Legislature passed legislation in early September that California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said will make workers’ compensation policies more transparent and fair. The measure, Senate...
North Carolina Defends Workplace Safety Record as Inspections Drop
Sep 19 2011 // Twenty years after the worst industrial accident in North Carolina history, there are signs that progress in worker safety made after the deaths of 25 people in a chicken plant fire is beginning to wane. The Charlotte...
Enhanced Technology, Workflows Contribute to Workplace Satisfaction
Sep 19 2011 // Over the years, I’ve engaged with thousands of independent insurance agents and brokers. Today, my work centers on enhanced technology and workflows. It sounds dry, but nothing could be further from the truth,...
Business Risk Partners Launches Lloyd’s-Backed Home Inspectors E&O Coverage
Sep 14 2011 // Business Risk Partners has launched a new standard E&O (errors & omissions) policy form for home inspectors. The policy, underwritten by Lloyd’s of London, reflects improvements across the board as a result...
Prices Up in All Commercial Lines: Towers Watson
Sep 13 2011 // In an indication that the market may be hardening, commercial insurance prices in aggregate increased by nearly 1.5 percent during the second quarter of 2011. It’s the first time since the fourth quarter of 2003 that...
Mass. Court Rules on Joint Employers’ Responsibilty for Workers’ Comp
Sep 8 2011 // Two employers can be held jointly responsible for workers’ compensation benefits for an injured worker whom they both classified as an independent contractor, a Massachusetts appeals court has ruled. The...
California Passes Bill on Employer Rights in Workers’ Comp Arbitration
Sep 7 2011 // The California State Legislature on Tuesday passed a bill that California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said will make workers’ compensation policies more transparent and fair. The measure, Senate Bill 684,...
North Carolina Defends Workplace Safety Record as Inspections Drop
Sep 6 2011 // Twenty years after the worst industrial accident in North Carolina history, there are signs that progress in worker safety made after the deaths of 25 people in a chicken plant fire is beginning to wane. The Charlotte...
