Quote of the day
"Through the Workers' Compensation department, we have mounted a system-wide Anti-Assault campaign. We have placed stickers notifying the public that stiff penalties and incarceration will result if a person is convicted of assaulting a transit operator."
Spokeswoman Maggie Lynch, of San Francisco's Muni public transportation agency
Muni Drivers Assaulted, Then Left in the Lurch by Comp System
Many passenger attacks on employees of San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency go unreported. In addition to a perceived lack of prosecution, drivers who make workers’ compensation claims after an attack often have to wait 90 days without pay for an investigation to be completed before they can receive benefits. By Adam Martin, San Francisco Examiner
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CHP Probes Fuel Carrier in Wake of East Bay Blast
Sabek Transportation Inc., the Bay Area fuel carrier and employer of the driver of the trailer that exploded on the East Bay’s MacArthur Maze, has been involved in dozens of lawsuits in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, including disputes over unpaid workers’ compensation insurance for drivers. California Highway Patrol officials have opened a review of the safety and maintenance history of the company. By Demian Bulwa, Matthew B. Stannard, John Coté, San Francisco Chronicle
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San Diego Area Mortuary Cited for Coverage Lapse
Prompted by complaints to the North County Times about at least one employee injury, the state Department of Industrial Relations inspects and cites Poway Bernardo Mortuary for letting its workers’ compensation insurance lapse. The business was the focus of the “Family Plots” reality show that ran on A&E in 2004 and 2005. By Andrea Moss, North County Times
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State Fund Hosting Heat Illness Prevention Seminars
State Compensation Insurance Fund is hosing May and June seminars designed to inform California employers about heat illness prevention. State Compensation Insurance Fund
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Hawaii Lawmakers Approve Workers’ Comp Amendment
The Hawaii Legislature approves a change in workers’ compensation law that ensures uninterrupted medical care to injured employees, even if employers deny paying for further treatment, until the director of labor and industrial relations renders a final decision. By Chad Blair, Pacific Business News (Honolulu)
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Three Quarters of Taiwanese Fear Karoshi
Nearly 74 percent of Taiwan workers worry about becoming victims of karoshi, a Japanese term for death from overwork and stress and fatigue from long working hours, according a recent public opinion poll. Of the 90 percent of respondents who reported having worked overtime, nearly 50 percent were not paid for their overtime. China Post
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Firefighters’ and Families React to New Law
Ontario firefighters and the families of those who lost their lives to cancer react to new provincial laws that will make it easier for firefighters to get workers’ compensation for job-related cancers and heart attacks. By Kerry Gillespie, Toronto Star
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