Quote of the day
“I’m not surprised that the majority of COVID-19 claims are coming from healthcare workers.”
Marissa Baker, assistant professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health
Washington frontline employees file workers’ compensation claims
Of the hundreds of workers’ compensation claims related to COVID-19 in Washington, roughly 83 percent are from frontline employees in patient care. Some of the claims are from people who were quarantined after workplace exposure, according to Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. KING (Seattle)
Food processing plant sued for wrongful death
JBS USA is being sued by the family of an employee who died of COVID-19 after working at its Pennsylvania plant. Among other allegations the lawsuit claims the company failed to provide face masks or ensure physical distancing on the production floor. The family also claims employees were discouraged from taking sick leave for fear of losing their jobs. Greeley Tribune
Colorado: Pinnacol donates $1.8M to pandemic relief
Workers’ comp insurer Pinnacol Assurance has donated $1.83M to various funds that aim to help employees and companies adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the donation is targeted to the most severely affected local communities. Denver Business Journal
Cleaning expert offers advice on disinfecting workspaces for reopening
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Fed-OSHA have guidelines for keeping workplaces safe, deep cleaning and disinfecting hold different meanings to different industries. The owner of a Lubbock, Texas-based cleaning and restoration company discusses what disinfecting for reopening looks like. Dallas Business Journal
Workers’ comp systems face deluge of COVID-19 claims
Could companies that restart operations even as the coronavirus pandemic rages on trigger a flood of workers’ compensation claims, and overwhelm some state systems? Bloomberg Law [may require registration]