Report: Workers’ Comp Payments For Medical Care Exceed Cash Benefits for the First Time
Workers’ compensation payments for medical care and cash benefits for U.S. workers injured on the job increased 4.4 percent to $57.6 billion in 2008, according to a study released Sept. 9 by the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI). For the first time, medical benefits accounted for over half (50.4 percent) of all benefits paid...
Proper Use of PPE and Its Relationship to Workers' Comp Costs
Travel through any workplace in America and you most likely will find yourself in the middle of a virtual minefield of hazards, coming in all shapes and sizes...
DOL Awards Amtrak Employee $160,000 in Retaliation Case
On Aug. 26, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) ordered Amtrak to pay employee Nicole Anderson $60,000 in compensatory damages and $100,000 in punitive damages for the retaliation she experienced after reporting an on-the-job injury...
CDC: More U.S. Adults Report Being Obese
The number of states with an obesity prevalence of 30 percent or more has tripled in 2 years to reach nine states in 2009, according to a CDC Vital Signs report. The report also found that no state met the nation’s Healthy People 2010 goal to lower obesity prevalence to 15 percent...
Researchers Identify Incentives, Barriers to Best Practices in Ergonomics for Masonry Contractors
Researchers working with industry stakeholders found that while products, equipment and work practices already are in use by masonry contractors to reduce the rate of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among masonry workers, the decentralized nature of the industry and prevalence of small contractors has led to regional differences in their use and barriers to widespread adoption...
MSD Injuries, Health Problems Force Roofers Into Early Retirement
Sixty percent of roofers who exited the trade within 1 year left their jobs due to chronic pain, work-related musculoskeletal disorders and poor health, according to research published in the American Journal of Industrial Hygiene...
Managing Workers' Comp: Workplace Violence Can Put Your Company at Risk
Having a plan in place to help recognize the signs of workplace violence and deal with the aftermath can save lives and money...
Managing Workers' Comp: Getting Physical in Return-to-Work Programs
Through the use of centralized information storage, deliberate processes and old-fashioned teamwork, organizations can drastically improve their return-to-work programs, decrease lost workdays and increase overall organizational performance...
Coalition Seeks Workplace Safety Protections for Florida Public Sector Workers
On March 1, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and its Florida members relaunched efforts seeking occupational safety and health protections for Florida’s public sector workers...
Managing Workers’ Comp: Obesity's Link to Diabetes in the Workplace
Obesity puts a heavy burden on employers as well as employees...
Top Three Myths about Workplace Injuries
How many times have you heard people saying something completely ridiculous or that you know just isn’t right? You don’t have to go very far these days to encounter such statements...
Study: Workers’ Comp Patients Get Less Benefit from Back Surgery
According to a new study, surgery provides better results than non-surgical treatment for most patients with back pain related to a herniated disk – but not for those receiving workers’ compensation for work-related injuries...
Workers’ Comp Research Provides Insight Into Curbing Health Care Costs
Analyzing physicians’ workers’ compensation practice patterns may hold valuable clues about how to curb the nation’s rising health care costs, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine...
What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You
A company advertises a job opening for a worker needed to pack and load heavy boxes onto trucks. It would seem an easy position to fill...
MMWR: CDC Examines Antimony Toxicity Outbreak in Firefighters
Following an analysis of 65 firefighters, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that wearing fabric containing antimony oxides is not connected with elevated concentrations of urinary antimony, according to the Nov. 27 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)...
Contractor Pleads Guilty to Workers’ Comp Fraud, Other Charges
The owner of Master’s Touch Drywall pled guilty to felony theft of sales tax and workers’ compensation fraud, and agreed to pay more than $2.1 million in restitution to the state of Washington...
Washington Man Sentenced to 90 Days for Workers’ Compensation Fraud
Joseph Woolf of Onalaska, Wash., has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and 12 months of community supervision for illegally collecting workers’ compensation pension benefits while working on his family-owned farm...
Capitalize on Strengths, Minimize Risks for Older Workers
A recent white paper from PMA Companies of Blue Bell, Pa., studies the positive impact of an aging work force, and examines how employers can capitalize on the strengths of older adults while minimizing high-severity risks...
One Year Remaining for 9/11 Workers to Register for Workers’ Comp Program
Time is running out for workers and volunteers who participated in rescue, cleanup or recovery operations following the attack on the World Trade Center to register with New York State’s Workers’ Compensation Board to preserve the right to file for 9/11-related workers’ compensation...
Managing Workers' Comp: "Intexicated" Drivers and Employer Liability
The proliferation of personal technology, predominantly cell phones, Blackberrys and iPods, now infiltrates work life as well as leisure time...
Seven Steps You Can Take to Stop Workers' Compensation Fraud
Every successful business has a combination of formal and informal procedures and processes that give it the ability to serve its customers efficiently and cost effectively. Without those procedures, businesses close their doors....
Preventative Medicine for Occupational Diseases
A recent report by the American Association of Family Practitioners notes that occupational diseases account for 860,000 illnesses and more than 60,000...
How to Reduce Workers' Comp Costs in Recessionary Times
Amid a slumping economy, there still are opportunities for organizations to reduce workers' compensation costs and save money through savvy risk management practices...
VSP: Annual Eye Exams Saved Companies Nearly $3 Billion Each Year
A new study of five U.S. corporations shows that the companies saved nearly $3 billion annually on health care costs associated with the treatment of chronic diseases detectable via an eye examination...
Painting Company that Defrauded Workers' Comp System Must Pay $212,000
The owner of a Spokane residential painting company will pay $212,000 in back premiums and penalties in a case involving false reporting and cash payment of wages to avoid workers' compensation premiums....
