workers’ compensation News

Debate Over Business Liability in Pandemic Turns to OSHA Regulation, CDC Guidelines

Congressional Republicans have made liability protection for employers a nonnegotiable demand in any new coronavirus stimulus, but Senator Lindsey Graham, an ally of President Donald Trump, says that regulators have a role to play in the workplace. The government must …

Workers’ Comp May Need Backstop as Presumptions Push Claim Costs into Billions

An executive order by California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week is the most aggressive yet among the directives issued by 13 states that require workers’ compensation insurers to pay at least some COVID-19 claims. Pressure is growing on workers’ compensation …

Indiana Too Quick to Clear Amazon in Worker’s Death, Report Finds

Indiana’s safety agency prematurely released Amazon from citations and fines in the death of a warehouse employee who was crushed by a forklift, a federal investigation has found. Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration absolved the online retailer of any …

Houston Confronts One-Two Punch of Coronavirus and Oil Bust

When you’re known as the energy capital of the world, oil busts are nothing new. But Houston now finds itself in uncharted territory — grappling with an oil downturn in the middle of a pandemic. Like in other cities, the …

3 Workers Hurt in Shooting Over Closed Dining Room at Oklahoma McDonald’s

Three McDonald’s employees in Oklahoma City suffered gunshot wounds when a customer opened fire because she was angry that the restaurant’s dining area was closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, police said on May 7. Gloricia Woody, 32, was in …

Strikes at Dozens of Illinois Nursing Homes Averted with Labor Deal

Staff at dozens of Illinois nursing homes called off a strike set to begin May 8 after their union reached a tentative deal with nursing home owners that will increase workers’ pay to at least $15 and guarantee additional bonus …

Willis Paints COVID-19 Insurance Loss Big Picture: It’s a Wash or Historic Catastrophe

If the novel COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control soon, the disease’s impact on the insurance industry as a whole may be pretty much a wash. It not, the industry may be on the verge of an historic catastrophe. A …

Meat Workers Taking Leave, Quitting as Plants Reopen Amid Coronavirus Scare

America’s meat-processing plants are starting to reopen but not all workers are showing up. Some still fear they’ll get sick after coronavirus outbreaks shut more than a dozen facilities last month. Employees are taking leave, paid and unpaid — or …

What to Expect in Workers’ Compensation Costs From COVID-19: NCCI

If only 10 percent of health care workers contract COVID-19 and all of their claims are deemed compensable, workers’ compensation loss costs for that sector could double or even triple in some states, according to an analysis by the National …

Midwest Meatpackers Cautiously Reopen Plants After Coronavirus Shutdown

A South Dakota pork processing plant took its first steps toward reopening on May 4 after being shuttered for over two weeks because of a coronavirus outbreak that infected more than 800 employees. As two departments opened at the Sioux …