workers’ compensation News

Meat Packing Plant Owners Defend Operations During Pandemic

As part of an investigation into the spread of coronavirus at U.S. meat plants, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker released responses from major producers that defended their operations during the pandemic. The four biggest meatpackers — Tyson Foods …

Workers’ Compensation Rates Won’t Be Adjusted for Coronavirus Experience This Year

The workers’ compensation line is unlikely to generate a profit this year and may not recover in 2021, an insurance industry economist said during a webcast Thursday. Steven N. Weisbart, senior vice president and chief economist for the Insurance Information …

LUBA Workers’ Comp Expands into Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee

Baton Rouge, La.-based workers’ compensation insurance carrier, LUBA Workers’ Comp, has expanded its coverage into Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Alabama. Founded in 1991, the company currently writes workers’ compensation insurance through a network of select, independent agencies in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas …

Worker Dies at ArcelorMittal East Chicago Steel Mill

A worker at an ArcelorMittal steel mill in northwestern Indiana died after he was struck by a vehicle, the company said. The man died July 21 after being hit by a coil tractor at the Indiana Harbor steel mill in …

Liberty Mutual Loses Bid to Charge Employer for Claims Paid from Exempt Workers

A workers’ compensation insurer cannot charge an employer an extra $1.7 million in premiums for the risk presented by employees who were exempt from coverage under Iowa’s workers’ compensation law, a federal appellate court ruled Monday. The 8th Circuit Court …

Workers Turn Into Sleuths to Track Sicknesses Where Employers Keep Covid Data Secret

Jana Jumpp spends eight hours a day updating a spreadsheet — not for work, but a recent hobby: figuring out how many of Amazon’s 400,000 warehouse workers have fallen sick with the coronavirus. Amazon won’t give a number, so Jumpp …

Risk of Airborne Coronavirus Adds to Challenge of Making Workspaces Safe

U.S. companies are raising new questions about how they can make workplaces safe after the world’s top public health agency acknowledged the risk that tiny airborne droplets of the novel coronavirus may contribute to its spread, industry healthcare consultants said. …

3 Workers Injured at West Virginia Chemical Plant

Three workers have been injured at a West Virginia chemical plant, officials said. The incident happened Sunday evening at the Westlake Chemical plant, which produces chlorine, news outlets reported. Details of what happened at the Marshall County facility weren’t immediately …

Texas Company Cited After Employee Fatalities; Fined Nearly $500K

A company in Pasadena, Texas, has been cited by federal officials and faces penalties of almost $500,000 for exposing employees to confined space hazards after two workers died. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited …

Next Showdown in Congress: Protecting Workers vs. Protecting Employers in Pandemic

Congressional leaders are squaring off over the next pandemic relief bill in a debate over whom Congress should step up to protect: front-line workers seeking more safeguards from the ravages of COVID-19 or beleaguered employers seeking relief from lawsuits. Democrats …