The Indiana House on Wednesday unanimously approved amendments to a bill that would fine Indiana employers up to $132,598 for a worksite fatality stemming from workplace safety standard violations, according to the state’s legislative website. The Senate unanimously passed H.B. 1341 on April 2. The bill amends Indiana code on workplace safety, which stipulates fines of $7,000 to $70,000 for…
Increasing the availability of personal protective equipment for women are among keys to bringing and advancing more women in safety roles in organizations, according to a report released Thursday by the American Society of Safety Professionals. Other areas to focus include offering more advancement opportunities to women and reducing violence against women at work, according to the report, which the…
The annual Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index documents the top 10 causes of the most serious workplace injuries – those causing an employee to miss five or more days from work – and ranks them by their direct cost to employers, which consists of medical and lost-wage payments. The insurer’s report also identifies the top causes of serious workplace injuries…
Workplace injury and illness rates have continued to decrease in the U.S. across all demographic categories but are dropping the most among younger workers, according to a study released Monday by the National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. Incidents of workplace injury and illnesses are continuing to decline about 2% to 3% annually, according to Boca Raton, Florida-based NCCI. In…
A study of workplace injuries in 27 states, including Missouri and Illinois, shows rural workers injured on the job received prescriptions for opioid pain relievers 68% percent of the time, while their urban counterparts got them 44% of the time. The study was conducted by the Workers Compensation Research Institute, an independent group that does research for insurance companies, employers…
After House and Senate Democrats sent SB 1596 to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce is petitioning the governor to veto the Workers’ Compensation reform bill. The chamber’s recent letter to Pritzker outlines a handful of potential adverse effects on small businesses and invokes Pritzker’s campaign promise to involve employers in any reform process. “We urge you…
Several House Republicans have voiced their opposition to a recently passed bill that amends the state’s Worker’s Compensation Act. Senate Bill 1596 passed the House on March 14 after receiving 70 Yes votes and 40 No votes. The bill had previously passed in the Senate on March 6 with 41 Yes votes and 16 No votes. It was sponsored in…
A circuit court referred a case for consideration to the Illinois Supreme Court to decide if a workers compensation settlement can be exempt in a bankruptcy proceeding. In Re Elena Hernandez, three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago certified the question on Monday of whether the Illinois Workers Compensation Act can exempt the proceeds of…
Mediation programs in two states are bringing together opioid-addicted workers and workers compensation insurers to create plans to get these workers off drugs. In February, the New Hampshire Department of Labor launched the Opioid Pilot Mediation Program, which will provide an opportunity for insurers and opioid-dependent workers whose cases have been settled in the workers comp system to come together…
Illnesses and injuries associated with working in Illinois mines are substantially underreported to the federal agency tasked with tracking these events, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration requires reporting of injuries and illness sustained while working in mines in the U.S. But according…
