Medical payments per claim decreased by 3% on average in 17 states for 2021 injuries with costs that extended into the first quarter of 2022, according to a set of studies released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The main driver of the decline was a decrease in the utilization of medical services, likely as a result of the…
The U.S. Department of Labor said impact inspections at 14 mines in 10 states throughout August uncovered a total of 246 workplace safety violations. The inspections, completed by the department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, found 94 significant and substantial violations and 17 violations found to have unwarrantable failure findings, the DOL said. Significant and substantial violations are those likely…
Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., have introduced legislation designed to create parity in workers compensation in cases involving injured workers who receive out-of-state benefits. The Parity in Workers’ Compensation Recovery Act of 2023, filed Tuesday, states that workers who receive comp awards in any state are not barred from seeking compensation under D.C. workers comp law for the same injury or…
Agriculture is one of the few industries where relatives of workers suffer high rates of injuries due to the nature of working farms existing on private lands, and researchers say farmers need to ensure children are kept safe from workplace incidents. The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, in a Wednesday blog post, said while agriculture ranks among the…
As attacks on health care workers become increasingly more common, workplace safety experts are calling on regulators and employers to better protect those caring for patients. Incidents spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic amid understaffed medical facilities, increased substance abuse and an overall lack of mental health services, experts say. And although the issue is on the radar of federal and…
Longer work hours, higher demands and understaffing have made stress and burnout risk factors for employers, and experts say such mental health issues may be making workplaces less safe. “When there’s pressure for production … and things have to get done because there’s a deadline, people may cut corners on safety,” said Paul Landsbergis, an associate professor in the Department…
Six percent of workers with compensation claims for COVID-19 developed long COVID, according to a study released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. At an average of 18 months of post-infection experience, these workers received more than 20 weeks of temporary disability benefits and received an average of $29,000 in medical care, 10 times that which was spent on…
The mother of an Arby’s worker who was murdered by a coworker at a restaurant in Hickory Hills, Illinois, in 2017 can’t sue the franchisees, as workers compensation is the exclusive remedy, an Illinois appeals court ruled Tuesday. Doreen Price sued Lunan Roberts Inc., Lunan Corp., Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. and Irvin Thomas in connection with the murder of her…
While consumer prices for energy, food and housing between 2021 and 2022 saw drastic increases, there’s little evidence such inflationary pressures affected workers compensation medical costs, according to a report released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The study identified the main drivers of the workers comp medical cost growth, finding that a major contributor to price increases in…
An Indiana appellate court ruled the state’s Worker’s Compensation Board erred in upholding a determination that an injured worker’s petition for additional workers comp benefits was untimely filed. The Indiana Court of Appeals on Monday reversed a board ruling dismissing a claim adjustment application by Angela Santos, who injured her back in December 2019 while working for Franciscan Health, affiliated…
