Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Cal/OSHA Finds Employer at Fault in Window Washer’s 11-Story Fall
May 20 2015 // Cal/OSHA has cited Century Window Cleaning for five safety hazards following an investigation into a window washer’s 11-story fall from the roof of a San Francisco building last year. Two of the five hazards cited...
Partisan Differences Highlight Debate over Illinois Workers’ Comp Reform
May 18 2015 // Business groups and injured employees had a chance on May 5 to tell Illinois lawmakers their thoughts on a possible revamp of the state’s workers’ compensation insurance program. Democratic House Speaker...
Oklahoma High Court Won’t Hear Work Comp Alternative Suit
May 18 2015 // The Oklahoma Supreme Court declined to take up a case challenging the constitutionality of the portion of the state’s workers’ compensation law that allows companies to use an alternative to workers’...
WCRI: Medical Payment Per Claim in California Fell Following Reforms
May 18 2015 // The average medical payment per claim for treating injured workers fell by 5 percent in California in 2013, according to a study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The findings could reflect some early impact...
Gilliland to Chair Oklahoma Workers’ Comp Commission
May 15 2015 // Gov. Mary Fallin has named Bob Gilliland of Oklahoma City as chairman of the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission. Gilliland was appointed in 2013 as one of the three initial members on the commission. He takes...
Louisiana Workers’ Comp Claim Costs Flat after Growth: WCRI
May 15 2015 // A recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found costs per workers’ compensation claim in Louisiana changed little from 2011 to 2013 ― a flattening that followed three years of 5 percent...
Suit Filed Over Oregon Worker Who Died After Using Bucket as Toilet
May 15 2015 // Relatives of an Oregon worker who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while defecating in the back of a company truck seek $4 million in a lawsuit filed against the man’s former employer and four other companies. The...
Amtrak Employee Injured in Philadelphia Crash Files Suit Seeking $150K
May 15 2015 // An Amtrak employee who was on the train that derailed Tuesday in Philadelphia accused the railroad company of negligence and seeks more than $150,000 in damages. Bruce Phillips suffered a traumatic brain injury and...
How On-Demand Economy Is Changing Workers’ Compensation
May 15 2015 // The workers’ compensation industry must contend with a fast-growing on-demand economy where jobs are filled via apps and more employees are temporary contractors. “Technology is changing how we think about...
Workers’ Comp Industry Improved in 2014 But NCCI Sees Trouble Ahead
May 14 2015 // The workers’ compensation industry had a pretty good 2014 in which its combined ratio improved for the third consecutive year, premium grew for the fourth consecutive year, and claim frequency declined about two...
California Court Says Staffing Agencies Can’t Self-Insure Workers’ Comp
May 12 2015 // A California Court of Appeals has upheld the state’s decision to exclude temporary staffing agencies from self-insuring for workers’ compensation, a ruling that upholds one of the provisions in the...
WCRI: North Carolina Workers Comp Indemnity Benefits Higher Than Other States
May 12 2015 // North Carolina’s workers’ compensation system had the highest indemnity benefits per claim of 17 states in a recent Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) study, which can serve as a baseline to observe...
California Commissioner OKs 10.2% Drop in Workers’ Comp Advisory Rates
May 8 2015 // Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones signed on to a recommendation by the California Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of an advisory pure premium rate for July that is 10.2 percent lower than those approved...
Conn.’s Work Comp Second Injury Fund Assessment Rate Remains Unchanged
May 7 2015 // Connecticut’s Office of the Treasurer announced that the assessment rate for the state’s Second Injury Fund will continue to remain unchanged for fiscal year 2016 which begins on July 1, 2015. The assessment...
Debate on Workers’ Comp Reform Begins in Illinois
May 7 2015 // Business groups and injured employees weighed in May 6 as Illinois lawmakers began debating whether to revamp the state’s workers’ compensation insurance program to reduce costs for employers. Democratic House...
Utah Workers’ Comp Fund Announces 6% Dividend
May 6 2015 // Utah’s Workers Compensation Fund has declared a $12 million dividend that will be distributed to a majority of policyholders this month. Policyholders can expect to receive a dividend equal to 6 percent of their 2014...
OSHA Rule Protects Construction Workers in Confined Spaces
May 5 2015 // The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a final rule to increase protections for construction workers in confined spaces. The rule will provide construction workers with protections...
California Workers’ Comp Premium Up 11% in 2014; Combined Ratio Still Exceeds 100
May 4 2015 // California written premium for calendar year 2014 was roughly $16.5 billion, 11 percent above 2013 and 88 percent above the written premium reported for 2009, according to a report from the California Workers’...
CDI: True Religion Subcontractor Underreported $78M in Payroll
May 4 2015 // The owners of sewing companies subcontracted by True Religion Brand Jeans were arrested in mid-April on 18 felony counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud totaling more than $11 million in losses. Sung Hyun...
Tennessee Workers Comp Opt-Out Legislation Revised, Ready for Next Session
May 4 2015 // Legislation seeking to provide Tennessee employers with an option to the current workers’ compensation system has been amended and deferred to the next legislative session. State Sen. Mark Green, who authored the...
