Quote of the day
"What if a commissioner is overturned on appeal because she misinterpreted the medical guidelines, or misapplied the law as it relates to attorney fees? Might the governor say the commissioner had lied to him when she certified that she obeyed the law? Would he then use that "lie" as an excuse to remove the commissioner for cause? Is this the plan?"
By Cindi Ross Scoppe, Associate Editor, the State, on South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's recent executive order directing workers' comp commissioners to use medical guidelines in calculating impairment awards
Jury Awards Millions to Nicaraguan Farm Workers Who Were Sterilized
A California jury awards $3.3 million to six farm workers sterilized by pesticides made by Dow Chemical and used at Dole’s banana plantations in Nicaraugua. The suit also alleged that Dow and another chemical firm, the manufacturers of the pesticide, knew it could cause sterility but buried that information. By AP via International Herald Tribune
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Commentary: Executive Order Would Vex Judges
Intentionally or not, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford made it look like he was usurping legislative authority and intimidating judges when he issued an executive order that purportedly required workers’ compensation commissioners to use objective medical standards as the sole basis for determining workers’ comp. By Cindi Ross Scoppe, the State (Columbia, S.C.)
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Former Supporters Reverse Stance on Asbestos Bill
Just a month after the Senate passed the first legislation to ban asbestos, public health officials, government regulators and victims’ advocates are increasingly speaking out against to the bill they once supported. They contend the legislation was diluted to appease lobbyists and industry, and many asbestos-containing products now are not covered. By Andrew Schneider, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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No ‘One-Size’ Solution to Gender-Based Safety Issues
One size does not fit all in workplace health and safety: women and men experience specific occupational health problems from exposure to different risk factors on the job, and women face hazards that workers’ comp does not adequately address. By Ginette Petitpas-Taylor Straight Goods
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Gevity Struggles to Right Ship
Florida human resource firm Gevity, which experienced a drop in net income of roughly 74 percent during the three months which ended Sept. 30 versus the same period in 2006, lost revenue due to lower workers comp rates and client loss. Executive Officer Michael Lavington says 2008 will be a year of “rebuilding and refocus.” By Brian Neill, Bradenton Herald
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BWC Moves from Downtown Cincinnati; ‘Lessons of Coingate’
Ohio’s embattled Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is moving its downtown Cincinnati office in order to save the agency an estimated $650,000 over the next two years. Elsewhere: an editorial in the wake of the fraud conviction of investment manager Mark Lay, one of the (presumably) last chapters of the bureau’s Coingate scandal. By Laura Hornsby, WCPO-TV
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Uganda Moves in Right Direction, But Many Still Lack Cover
In Uganda, recent legislation has led to more workers having workers’ comp coverage than just a few years ago. Unfortunately, many public sector workers still have absolutely no coverage. By Gary Corbit, the Monitor (Kampala) via AllAfrica.com
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