Quote of the day
"It's not just that it creates bad outcomes in workers' comp, but it creates bad outcomes in safety programs, it creates bad outcomes in employee attraction and retention, and it creates bad outcomes in absenteeism and disability episodes,"
Dr. Jennifer Christian, president of Webility Corp., a Massachusetts workers' comp management consulting company, about the impact of incompetent management on employee relations
Mendocino Jury Convicts Woman of Faking Slip-and-Fall
A jury deliberates less than two hours before finding a 43-year-old Willits, Calif., woman guilty of felony insurance and workers’ comp fraud in connection with a faked workplace slip-and-fall. The area where she reported the accident was under video surveillance, which did not record a slip or a fall, according to the Mendocino County district attorney’s office. Ukiah Daily Journal
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State Sues Orange County Staffing Firm
State officials sue Anaheim-based Pacificstaff on grounds that it helped construction contractors evade workers’ compensation coverage obligations. The company allegedly exploited a provision in state labor law intended for small family-owned or closely held businesses. By Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times
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Experts: Cutting Costs, Claims Is All About Respect
Respecting workers at all levels is the best way for workers’ comp managers to reduce claims and costs, according to some experts at the National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference & Expo in Chicago. But others doubt the abilities of most companies to effectively manage workers’ comp. By Dan Reynolds, Human Resource Executive (Horsham, Pa.)
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In North Dakota, Another WSI Whistleblower Asks for Cover
An internal audit manager for North Dakota’s Workforce Safety and Insurance, who says she reported misuse of public resources and payment of workplace safety grants, becomes the fifth WSI employee to ask for protection against possible retaliation. By AP via Bismarck Tribune
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The Scourge of Poor Health, ‘Presenteeism’
The Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies published a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine this past April on the effects of “presenteeism,” or work slowdowns caused by illness on the job. The study concludes that it may account for 60 percent of employer health costs. By Brent Stewart, the Southern Illinoisan
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Commentary: Responsibility and Construction Work
A self-labeled “union guy” ironworker discusses the inherently dangerous construction trade and the concept of a “responsible contractor.” By Thomas G. Pryce, Youngstown, N.Y.
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Commentary: Lay’s Lawyers Right About One Thing
There is a grain of truth in the defense mounted by lawyers for Mark Lay, who recently was convicted of investment advisory fraud in the loss of $216 million in Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation funds: it’s that state officials failed to properly oversee the risky hedge fund investment Lay made on the agency’s behalf. Morning Journal (Lisbon, Ohio)
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Report: Asbestos Contaminates Homes Near Quebec Mine
Many private homes in a southern Quebec asbestos-mining community are “severely contaminated” and pose a dangerous public health risk, according to a new study, with more than half of the air samples containing asbestos fibers that exceed U.S. government safety limits. CBC News [With Photos, Video] Go to the Full Story…