workers’ compensation News

After Worker Dies Chevron Drains Natural Gas Pipeline Off Louisiana Coast

Authorities said that a Chevron Corp. subsidiary was still releasing natural gas on Sept. 14 from a pipeline off the Louisiana coast where an incident killed a maintenance worker. Col. Mike Edmonson, the superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, said …

Workplace Deaths Increase in Indiana in 2013

State officials say the number of workplace deaths in Indiana was up in 2013, but it was still the third-lowest number of fatalities recorded in the past 22 years. The Indiana Department of Labor reports the state had 123 worker …

EMPLOYERS Launches Work-Related Injury Hotline for Florida Small Business Clients

Small business insurer EMPLOYERS has launched Coventry/NT24, a 24-hour hotline staffed by registered nurses who provide medical guidance over the phone for work-related injuries or illnesses. The service is available to EMPLOYERS workers’ compensation policyholders in Florida. Coventry/NT24 is staffed …

California Workers’ Comp Kaleidoscope Through Conference-goers Eyes

Rick Hudson was sitting at his booth at the California Workers’ Compensation & Risk Conference on Thursday scanning emails on his smartphone during a slow period when he was asked what the most significant change to his job has been …

Texas Sees Decrease in Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2013

In 2013, there were 493 fatal occupational injuries in Texas, an 8 percent decrease from 536 in 2012, the Texas Department of Insurance reported. The figures are based on preliminary data released release by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau …

S. Dakota Director: Don’t Charge Work Comp Premiums for Independent Contractors

Merle Scheiber, director of South Dakota’s Insurance Division, has issued a reminder to workers’ compensation insurers that bona fide independent contractors are not required to carry workers’ comp insurance under state statute. Scheiber said the division has found that some …

Industrial Boom Driving Louisiana’s Ascension Parish

More than 2,000 construction workers are building a $2.1 billion expansion of CF Industries’ nitrogen complex in Louisiana’s Ascension Parish. The 100-acre addition to the nation’s largest nitrogen plant is expected to be completed in 2016. More than 17,000 pilings …

California Chiropractor Charged In Insurance Fraud Scheme

A Riverside County, Calif. chiropractor is accused of masterminding an elaborate fraud scheme that bilked insurance companies out of millions of dollars. The Press-Enterprise reports Peyman Heidary is charged with heading a criminal organization that established medical clinics and a …

9/11 Responders Urged to Register for N.Y. Workers’ Comp Benefits

Elected officials and union activists in New York are urging Sept. 11 responders to sign up for New York worker compensation benefits. They say that those who worked around the World Trade Center site should enroll with the state Workers …

Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance to File for 5% Rate Reduction

Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI), the largest workers’ compensation insurer in Kentucky, announced that it plans to file for an overall rate reduction of 5 percent effective Jan. 1, 2015. KEMI said Thursday the plan was approved by its board …