Latest Contractors Headlines
All the headlines from our Contractors Topic Page, ordered by recency.
FEMA Accused of Wrongly Releasing Data of California Wildfire Victims
Apr 1 2019 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency wrongly released to a contractor the personal information of 2.3 million survivors of devastating 2017 hurricanes and wildfires, potentially exposing the victims to identity fraud...
Workers’ Comp and the Gig Economy: Status Quo Remains, for Now
Apr 1 2019 // The rise of an on-demand economy once threatened to put workers’ compensation insurers in the hot seat, in large part because the question of how the sector could, or should, cover these individuals remained...
Cal/OSHA Cites Contractor After Workers Hospitalized for Valley Fever
Mar 29 2019 // Cal/OSHA has issued serious health and safety citations to Underground Construction Co. Inc. of Benicia, Calif. after two of its employees contracted Valley Fever. The workers were reportedly exposed to the fungal disease...
FEMA Gave Private Contractor Personal Data on 2.3 Million Hurricane, Wildfire Survivors
Mar 25 2019 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency wrongly released to a contractor the personal information of 2.3 million survivors of devastating 2017 hurricanes and wildfires, potentially exposing the victims to identity fraud...
California Contractor Cited for Accident That Fatally Crushed Worker
Mar 21 2019 // Cal/OSHA has cited a Bay Area contractor for serious safety violations after a worker was fatally crushed at a San Rafael construction site on Sept. 18, 2018. Investigators determined that West Coast Land and Development...
Industry Awaits Florida Supreme Court Decision on Post-Loss AOB Policy Language
Mar 14 2019 // As Florida lawmakers weigh reform for the state’s assignment of benefits crisis, the insurance industry and regulators are closely monitoring a case addressing post-loss policy language that is currently before the...
Contractor that Built Miami Pedestrian Bridge that Collapsed Files for Bankruptcy
Mar 6 2019 // The contractor that built a pedestrian bridge that collapsed and killed six people last year in Miami is filing for bankruptcy protection. Miami-based Munilla Construction Management said in a press release on Saturday the...
Virgin Islands Storm Repairs May Be Jeopardized by FEMA, Contractors Dispute
Mar 1 2019 // Companies rebuilding storm-damaged homes in the U.S. Virgin Islands under a federally funded program say they haven’t been paid in months and are threatening to place liens on the houses. The dispute highlights what...
Will 7th Time Be the Charm? Industry Makes Big Push for AOB Reform in 2019
Feb 28 2019 // The push for assignment of benefits (AOB) reform in the 2019 Florida legislative session is in full swing, and the insurance industry and consumer advocates have pulled out all the stops to emphasize their contention that...
Former California Insurance Agent Allegedly Faked Workers’ Comp Insurance
Feb 25 2019 // Former California licensed insurance agent, Alan Amir Yousefi, 31, was charged with 10 felony counts including grand theft, insurance fraud and forgery, for allegedly stealing more than $105,000 in insurance premiums from...
New Ventures, Driver Shortage Among Challenges in Trucking Insurance Market
Feb 15 2019 // The transportation industry is considered a barometer of the U.S. economy. If freight is trending up, so too is the U.S. economy. But capacity constraints for trucking – including a shortage of qualified drivers, low...
Feds Order Alabama Contractor to Pay $82K in Back Wages to 17 Employees
Feb 6 2019 // An Alabama company has paid $82,515 in back wages and fringe benefits to 17 employees following a federal investigation into labor law violations. Al.com reports Marathon Electrical Contractors, based in Irondale, was...
Delaware Contractor Breaks Both Legs in Trench Fall
Jan 29 2019 // The Delaware Department of Transportation says a contractor who fell through a trench on a construction site broke both his legs. The News Journal reports that the Carrow Construction crew was digging a trench Friday as...
Small Businesses Under Scrutiny Over Classifying Independent Contractors
Jan 28 2019 // Small business owners who want to use independent contractors need to be sure these workers really aren’t employees. Federal and state government agencies are on the lookout for businesses that use independent...
Wildfires, Dynamex Dominate California Wholesaler Conference
Jan 21 2019 // Wildfires and the Dynamex decision dominated discussions at an insurance wholesaler conference in early January. The California Wholesaler Association conference in La Jolla, Calif., from Jan. 6 to Jan. 8 featured numerous...
Flood Coverage, TWIA, Workers’ Comp Relativities Among TDI Concerns in Legislative Report
Jan 21 2019 // In its 2018 Biennial Report to the Legislature dated Dec. 14, 2018, the Texas Department of Insurance made several recommendations to state lawmakers regarding issues the agency believes are worth looking at in the...
TDI Shares Consumer Concerns About Contractors, Roofers with Lawmakers
Jan 15 2019 // While not making any specific recommendations to lawmakers regarding the licensing of building and roofing contractors, the Texas Department of Insurance noted in its 2018 Biennial Report to the Legislature that the...
Wildfires, Dynamex Dominate California Wholesaler Conference
Jan 8 2019 // Wildfires and the Dynamex decision. Those two topics dominated discussions at an insurance wholesaler conference this week. The California Wholesaler Association conference in La Jolla, Calif. from Sunday through today...
Western Region Could See Action on Disaster Mitigation, Independent Contractors, Workers’ Comp
Jan 7 2019 // Most eyeballs were on California during the midterm elections in November, with polar opposite candidates facing off in the race for governor as well as the office of insurance commissioner. As in most years, Democrats...
Midwest Legislative Priorities Include No-Fault Auto, Distracted Driving, Contractor Fraud, Tort Reform
Jan 7 2019 // With some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation, Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws — much maligned by the insurance industry and business interests — are sure to be a target for legislative...
