Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Injured Workers Pharmacy Will Pay $11M to Settle Complaint By Mass. AG’s Office
Jul 6 2020 // A mail-order pharmacy that fought frequent court battles against workers’ compensation insurers will pay $11 million and change its business practices to settle a civil complaint by the Massachusetts attorney...
Houston Pharmacist Gets 10 Years in $21M Workers’ Comp Fraud Case
Jul 6 2020 // A Houston pharmacist has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in a $21 million workers’ compensation fraud case. George Philip Tompkins, 75, the self-proclaimed “Compound King” and former owner of Piney...
California Workers’ Comp Direct Written Premium Continued to Fall Last Year, Report Shows
Jul 6 2020 // California workers’ compensation total direct written premium continued to decline in 2019, falling 7.0% to a five-year low of $11.42 billion, as nine out of the state’s 10 largest insurer groups wrote less...
Texas Work Comp Division: Healthcare Providers Indicted for Drug Distribution, Fraud
Jul 2 2020 // Three Texas healthcare providers will face trial for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and mail fraud, according to the Texas Department of Insurance – Division of Workers’ Compensation. On June...
Missouri Contractor Fined $224K after Trench Collapse, Employee Injuries
Jun 30 2020 // A Missouri contractor has been cited by federal workplace safety officials for trenching and excavation violations after an employee suffered severe injuries when a 20-foot trench collapsed during excavation of Creve Coeur...
California Workers’ Comp Bureau Paid $4.6B Medical, $3.8B Indemnity Losses in 2019
Jun 30 2020 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California has released its report on workers’ comp losses and expenses for 2019. Findings in the WCIRB report, 2019 California Workers’ Compensation...
Houston Pharmacist, Wife Sentenced in $21M Workers’ Comp Fraud Case
Jun 29 2020 // A Houston pharmacist has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in a $21 million workers’ compensation fraud case. George Philip Tompkins, 75, the self-proclaimed “Compound King” and former owner of Piney...
California Adopts Workplace Safety Standards Protecting Nighttime Ag Workers
Jun 26 2020 // California has adopted new workplace safety standards to protect agricultural employees who work at night. These are reportedly the first lighting standards in the nation written specifically to protect agricultural...
Iowa Lawmakers Dispute Finding of No Violations at Tyson Plant Despite Deaths
Jun 25 2020 // Iowa’s workplace safety agency says an inspection did not uncover any violations at Tyson Foods’ largest pork processing plant, where several employees died after contracting the coronavirus. The Iowa...
California Workers’ Comp Classification Inspection Report Expanded for Agents
Jun 23 2020 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California is expanding its Special Inspection Report program to allow agents and brokers to request a WCIRB physical inspection of their clients’ California...
North Carolina Electric Distributor Cited for Safety Hazards at Florida Worksite
Jun 23 2020 // The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Florida Progress LLC, operating as Duke Energy Florida LLC, for exposing employees to excavation hazards at a Zephyrhills,...
There’s Plenty of Room for Improvement in U.S. Commercial Lines: Fitch
Jun 22 2020 // With an industry overall combined ratio for 2019 hovering just below 100, and individual lines like long-tail liability moving 10 points over breakeven, the U.S. commercial lines market has “plenty of room for...
New Jersey Manufacturer Fined for Failing to Correct Machine Hazards
Jun 22 2020 // The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Bravo Pak Inc. for failing to abate hazards at its Pennsauken, N.J., facility. The company owes $259,760 in penalties. In...
Worker Injured at Georgia Pyrotechnic Plant Previously Cited for Safety Violations
Jun 22 2020 // An explosion and flash fire badly burned the head, face and hands of a worker at a pyrotechnic plant in Georgia, an official said. The unidentified employee at Pyrotechnic Specialties, Inc. in Byron was airlifted June 17...
Florida Residual Workers’ Comp Plan Issues $27.6M in Premium Refunds
Jun 18 2020 // Nearly 13,000 policyholders of the Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association (FWCJUA) will receive workforce premium refunds totaling $27.6 million over the next few months. According to the...
California Orders Workers’ Comp Carriers to Return Premiums Due to Stay-At-Home Orders
Jun 17 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today issued an order adopting emergency workers’ compensation regulations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new regulations go into effect on July 1. The...
Massachusetts’ A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies Hires Pitruzzello
Jun 17 2020 // Burlington, Mass.-based A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies has hired Glen Pitruzzello as director of Claim, responsible for claim operations throughout New England. In this capacity, he reports to President and CEO Michael...
California Workers’ Comp Direct Written Premium Continued to Fall Last Year, Report Shows
Jun 16 2020 // California workers’ compensation total direct written premium continued to decline in 2019, falling 7.0% to a five-year low of $11.42 billion, as nine out of the state’s 10 largest insurer groups wrote less...
OSHA Investigating Fatal Wisconsin Construction Accident
Jun 16 2020 // A fatal construction accident in Green Bay, Wisconsin is being investigated by federal regulators. The Green Bay Press-Gazette reports a 52-year-old man was killed Friday morning on the city’s northeast side. Police...
New Jersey Framing Contractor Facing $1.9M in Proposed Fines for Safety Hazards
Jun 12 2020 // The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is proposing penalties against BB Frame LLC, operating as Frame Q and as Owner and Principal Juan Quevedo, for exposing workers to...
