Quote of the day
"It becomes common practice at times for people to load the trusses and it's only a matter of time before someone will be seriously injured."
George Stewart, Prince Edward Island Workers Compensation Board, about the agency's recent hazard alert for overloaded trusses
Restaurant Manager Says Stabbing Was Workers’ Comp Fraud
In Burlingame, police say a restaurant worker grabbed a handful of forks and stabbed a coworker several times over a dispute about tips, but his manager contends that there was no stabbing and that the victim is trying to claim workers’ compensation benefits for the injury. By Mike Rosenberg, Examiner (San Francisco)
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PEI Authorities Issue Hazard Alert for Truss Work
After an incident last fall in which the trusses of a house collapsed after they were piled up with sheets of particle board, the Prince Edward Island Workers Compensation Board warns builders about the dangers of overloading trusses during house construction. CBC News (Canada)
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Workers Comp Conference Set for W.V. Carriers
A second conference for insurance companies interested in entering West Virginia’s workers’ compensation insurance market will be held in Charleston on April 8, state Insurance Commissioner Jane Cline announces. The market opens to competition on July 1, 2008. By George Hohmann, Charleston Daily Mail
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Provinces Use Creative Sentencing
Recognizing its rehabilitative effect on employers, Canadian provinces including Newfoundland and Labrador, and Alberta, are using legislative flexibility to impose creative and effective sentences for occupational health and safety violations. Lawyers Weekly
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U.K. Group Calls for Increased Focus on RSIs
In Britain, where repetitive stress injury rates and their attendant costs have been rising in recent years, a physiotherapy group calls for regular breaks and access to occupational health specialists for those at risk. Health and Safety Executive statistics show that RSIs are not merely a problem for office staff; construction workers such as carpenters and painters also are at high risk. BBC
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Groups Blast Workers’ Comp Changes in South Africa
Unions, lawyers and the state opposition criticize moves to amend workers’ compensation laws in South Australia, even before the government introduces changes to parliament. A government-ordered report on the WorkCover system recommends cutting payments to injured workers after 13 weeks to 80 percent of average weekly earnings. Yahoo!Xtra News
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