Quote of the day
"I've seen people use them for hours on end. You're really stressing the fingers."
Stacey Doyon, Chicago-based American Society of Hand Therapists, regarding personal digital assistants
Lawyers Warn About Danger from Using Digital Assistants
Some employment lawyers warn companies that they could face liability or workers’ compensation claims related to employee injuries from personal digital assistants. Such claims are bolstered by the American Physical Therapy Association and other occupational organizations who caution that improper use and overuse of PDAs can lead to a variety of hand and wrist injuries. By Stephanie Armour, Salem Statesman Journal
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CRM Holdings Updates Acquisition News
CRM Holdings, Ltd. reports that the California Department of Insurance has approved its acquisition of Embarcadero Insurance Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary, Majestic Insurance Co., a writer of workers’ compensation insurance for large and medium-size businesses, and that CRM will be proceeding with the impending close of the $45 million transaction. Workers’ Comp Executive
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Commission Has Jurisdiction over Asbestos Claim, Arkansas High Court Rules
The Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission has “exclusive, original jurisdiction” over claims of asbestos exposure by a group of current and former employees of an Arkansas Georgia-Pacific resin plant, the Arkansas Supreme Court rules. The workers also had sued a gasket manufacturer over including asbestos in its products. By AP via Pine Bluff Commercial
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N.Y. Retail Council Members Get Dividend for 28th Straight Year
Participants in the Retail Council of New York State’s Workers’ Compensation Insurance Safety Group, which is offered through the State Insurance Fund, are set to receive dividend checks totaling $5 million. The amount represents a 45-percent return on the group’s premium payments for 2005. The Business Review (Albany)
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Keystone State Enacts Changes to Its Workers’ Comp System
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell signs legislation that will change the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act. The changes include creation of an Uninsured Employers Guaranty Fund, higher minimum compensation for workers, guidelines for the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board and a code of ethics for its board members. Philadelphia Business Journal
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Noe Left to Twist over Long Weekend
The jury in the criminal trial of accused embezzler Tom Noe deliberates for a second day without reaching a verdict, but is expected to resume today after a Veterans Day break. Noe denies looting millions from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation rare coin funds he managed. By Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Australian Biz Group Goes Barmy over Comp Review
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry expresses shock at the Western Australia government’s decision to review new workers’ compensation laws, contending the government hasn’t shown justification that a review is necessary. ABC News Online (Australia)
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Opinion: Industry Betrayed over Smoking Ban, But So What?
British Columbia’s restaurant and bar owners probably feel betrayed after B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell’s announcement last week that public places will be smoke-free by 2008, because the Liberal government several years ago made a deal with the industry to allow smoking rooms. But that was the wrong decision, and this is the right one. Prince George Free Press
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Daley Forced to Acknowledge Broken System
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley acknowledges that the city’s workers compensation system “needs change” and said his scandal-hobbled administration has turned over records to a federal grand jury, which is investigating abuses by able workers who collect disability benefits. By Fran Spielman and Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times
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