Quote of the day
"Certain themes recur in the Pike accident reports. For one thing, the Pike doesn't have stools, it has death stools."
Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr, lampooning Massachusetts Turnpike workers who claim they injured themselves on their stools, and then soak taxpayers for expensive workers' comp claims
Alaska Candidates Grilled on Workers’ Comp Costs
Business leaders in Alaska interview gubernatorial candidates about issues including high health care and worker compensation rates, and how to root out fraud in the workers’ comp system. By Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News
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Commentary: Mass Turnpike Toll-Takers Take Taxpayers for a Ride
A job as a Massachusetts Turnpike toll-taker must be incredibly dangerous, given the injuries for which they seek compensation. By Howie Carr, Boston Herald
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New Jersey Bill Would Deny Comp in Alcohol-Related Injuries
Republican New Jersey state Sen. Henry McNamara introduces a bill that would make it more difficult for injured employees to claim workers’ compensation for alcohol-related accidents. The law would deny compensation if excessive alcohol or drugs contributed to the accident in any way. By Hugh R. Morley, North Jersey Media Group
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Commentary: Making Safety a Priority in Nova Scotia
Recent workplace accidents call attention once again to Nova Scotia’s appalling occupational health and safety record: 90 workers injured daily and one worker killed on the job every two weeks. The Workers’ Compensation Board uses a “creepy” internet safety campaign to get its point across to young workers, but will it work? By Bruce Wark, The Coast (Halifax)
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Pittsburgh Top Cop Takes Medical Leave for Bullet Wound
In Pittsburgh, Police Chief Dominic J. Costa is planning to go on medical leave because of effects from a shooting four years ago. Costa was shot in the neck during a February 2002 standoff with an armed fugitive; the incident left a bullet lodged in his brain. By Rich Lord and Moustafa Ayad, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Behavioral Health Firm Partners with State of Alabama
Birmingham, Ala.-based Behavioral Health Systems Inc. is partnering with the state of Alabama’s Division of Risk Management to provide an expanded Employee Assistance Program to more than 27,000 state employees. Behavioral Health’s programs include managed care, employee assistance, wellness and disease management, drug testing, education and training, and workers comp management. Birmingham Business Journal
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