An annual study conducted by the National Academy of Social Insurance revealed workers compensation cost and benefits took a sharp downturn during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, while reporting at the state level uncovered a stark contrast in results. Data compiled by the academy ran over a five-year period from 2016 to 2020 and highlighted trends and outcomes…
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Wednesday that it has launched a local emphasis program aiming to reduce the higher rates of injuries among the more than 90,000 food production workers in Illinois and Ohio. The program, which began Oct. 3, started with an initial outreach focused on more than 1,400 manufacturing facilities in Illinois and Ohio where year-round…
Mental health-related workers compensation claims continue to rise, many fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, relatively new presumption laws countrywide that broaden workers compensation eligibility for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental injuries, and greater awareness of mental health issues, experts say. Yet traditional mental injury claims can and are being defended, as legal experts report a rise in such claim…
A federal judge has dismissed FedEx from a lawsuit filed by relatives of five of the eight people who were fatally shot last year at an Indianapolis warehouse by a former employee of the shipping giant. U.S. District Judge James Sweeney on Monday granted a FedEx Corp. motion to dismiss it and three of its divisions from the wrongful death…
Twenty-four percent of COVID-19 workers compensation claimants have or had long COVID, according to a report released Monday by the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Overall, 20% of non-hospitalized and 47% of hospitalized workers with admitted COVID-19 claims developed long COVID, according to the Boca Raton, Florida-based ratings agency. NCCI relied on claims data extending through the first quarter of…
Medical payments per claim decreased more than 3% in the pandemic years 2020 and 2021 in half of the states studied by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based research organization studied medical costs for 2020 injuries with costs incurred through March 2021 in 18 states, finding that the reductions —following four years of stable or modest growth —…
With more people working from home, workers compensation has become a 24-hour exposure for employers, some experts say. Estimates show an increase in the number of employers allowing telecommuting or hybrid arrangements since the COVID-19 pandemic, and alleged work-from-home injuries are resulting in comp claims. Details of contested claims show the difficulties employers face in determining their validity. At least…
An Indiana-based contractor who conducted work in Kentucky but failed to disclose the out-of-state operations to its workers compensation insurer is on the hook for a workplace injury, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, affirming a lower court decision. Custom Mechanical Construction Inc. in Evansville, Indiana, had an insurance policy with Accident Fund Insurance Co. of America at the time…
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing $201,379 after finding a candy manufacturer’s plant in Bellwood, Illinois, continues to expose workers to amputation hazards and failed to utilize lockout procedures for the third time in five years. OSHA said Wednesday that it has issued five citations to Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania-based Ferrara Candy Co. for one repeat violation and four…
An Oregon State University study found an association with increasing temperatures and increased rates of injury claims that were more pronounced among workers in the agricultural and construction sectors. The study analyzed about 92,000 accepted claims and found that the rate of injuries is about 4% higher when the maximum heat index exceeds 75 degrees. The incident ratio for agriculture…
