Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines
All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
OSHA Fines Pennsylvania Candy Factory for Not Evacuating Before Fatal Explosion
Oct 10 2023 // A Pennsylvania chocolate factory was fined more than $44,000 by the federal workplace safety agency on Thursday for failing to evacuate before a natural gas explosion that killed seven people. R.M. Palmer Co. did not heed...
Are Florida Workers’ Comp Rates Getting Too Low? Roofers, Insurer Urge Freeze
Oct 6 2023 // Workers’ compensation rates have shrunk to such a low level in Florida, at least for some classifications, that they are causing problems and could be masking issues that will lead to higher premiums in coming years,...
New Jersey Insurance Agent, Contractor Arrested on Workers’ Compensation Fraud Charges
Oct 6 2023 // A New Jersey insurance agent and the owner of painting company were arrested this week on allegations of insurance fraud. Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll and Morris County Chief of Detectives Robert McNally...
California Workers’ Comp Written Premium in 2022 Was Near Pre-Pandemic Level
Oct 4 2023 // Written premium in 2022 was 14% higher than 2021 and almost at the pre-pandemic level – an increase was driven by higher employee wage levels and the economic Recovery, according to a new report out on Wednesday from the...
Subcontractors Working Too Close to High Voltage Power Lines Draws OSHA Action
Oct 4 2023 // The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a settlement agreement with a New Jersey building contractor who allowed its subcontractors’ employees to work in close proximity to high-voltage power lines at a...
Injured Worker Compensated in Rhode Island Barred From Suing in Massachusetts
Oct 3 2023 // An injured worker who collects workers’ compensation in Rhode Island cannot sue his employer in Massachusetts, according to a ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Court. Both states bar any other recovery once an...
Understanding the Impact of Recessions on Workers’ Compensation
Oct 2 2023 // Workers and employers in the U.S. have endured 17 recessions during NCCI’s 100 years of operation. Recessions produce far-reaching consequences on the economy, and the extent of those impacts depends on the severity,...
New York Ups Workers’ Compensation Benefits; Targets Wage Theft
Oct 2 2023 // New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed three bills into law that affect workers, including one raising the minimum disability benefit under workers’ compensation, over three years. The workers’ comp legislation...
Connecticut Adds Cancer Presumption to Firefighters’ Workers’ Compensation
Oct 2 2023 // A new Connecticut law making it easier for firefighters who develop cancer to receive workers’ compensation benefits will go into effect on October 1, 2023. Approved as part of the state budget bill, the law creates...
Boston Employment Agency Owner Sentenced for Tax and Workers’ Compensation Fraud
Sep 28 2023 // A Dorchester woman was sentenced recently in federal court in Boston for tax and workers’ compensation fraud offenses in connection with her operation of a temporary employment agency, according to officials. Dam...
James River Sells Individual Risk Workers Comp Renewal Rights to Amynta Group
Sep 26 2023 // James River Group Holdings Ltd. said some of its subsidiaries have entered into an agreement to sell the renewal rights to their Individual Risk Workers Compensation (IRWC) business to Amynta Group. The transaction...
Connecticut Eyes 9.8% Cut in Workers’ Compensation Costs
Sep 26 2023 // Connecticut workers’ compensation insurers are recommending an overall 9.8% reduction in loss costs in the voluntary market and a 10.5% overall reduction in the assigned risk market. The rate filing submitted to the...
Report Examines 10-Year California Workers Comp Payment Trends
Sep 25 2023 // Average paid losses on California workers’ compensation lost-time claims fell immediately after legislative reforms of SB 863 took effect a decade ago, but then gradually increased up until the pandemic hit,...
OSHA Fines Georgia Concrete Pipe Maker $246,000 After Death of Worker in Florida
Sep 21 2023 // The death of a 19-year-old Florida worker could have been prevented if a concrete pipe maker had ensured that employees followed proper safety procedures, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said. OSHA...
Social Security Demands Billions From Workers’ Comp Recipients, Others for Overpayments
Sep 21 2023 // The Social Security Administration is trying to claw back billions of dollars in disability overpayments, many of them made to people who received workers’ compensation payouts for injuries, an analysis has...
OSHA Fines Georgia Silo Operator for Safety Violations After Suffocation of Worker
Sep 20 2023 // The death of a worker who suffocated in a Georgia grain silo could have been prevented had the employer not violated safety regulations, federal officials say. That finding results from the U.S. Occupational Safety and...
Washington Proposes 4.9% Increase in Workers’ Comp Rates for 2024
Sep 20 2023 // The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is proposing a 4.9% increase in the average hourly rate employers and workers will pay for workers’ compensation insurance next year. If adopted, the increase...
New York Contractor Sentenced for Defrauding State Workers’ Comp Fund
Sep 20 2023 // A drywall contractor has been sentenced to six months in jail for defrauding the New York State workers’ compensation insurance fund out of almost $3 million in premiums over an eight-year period. The Manhattan...
Feds Tell Banks to Be on Alert for Payroll, Work Comp Premium Fraud Schemes
Sep 15 2023 // A US Treasury Department unit that investigates financial crimes has directed banks to send alerts when they come across suspicious activity that indicates a business is using check cashing companies to avoid payroll taxes...
People Moves: RT Specialty Promotes Mitchell to President of Workers’ Comp Practice; Wu Joins Axis as Head of N.A. Specialty Markets Distribution
Sep 13 2023 // RT Specialty Promotes Mitchell to President of Workers’ Compensation Practice RT Specialty promoted Jim Mitchell to national workers’ compensation practice president. Mitchell has been with RT Specialty since...
