Quote of the day
"We have to do something. The time is now for effective change."
New York Assemblyman Brian M. Kolb, a Republican, chair of a task force that found energy and workers' compensation costs the top issues manufacturers want the state to address
Mold Forces Bay Area Police Station to Relocate
The discovery of mold in the 57-year-old Richmond police station means it must temporarily relocate its 200 staff before the rainy season. The city ordered testing after 28 employees in four months filed workers’ compensation claims citing mold and asbestos-related illnesses ranging from chronic sniffles to skin infections. By John Geluardi, Contra Costa Times
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Empire State Manufacturers Demand Lower Comp, Energy Costs
A report by New York’s Assembly Republican Manufacturing Task Force finds that manufacturers say they need lower energy and workers’ compensation costs in order to be more efficient and profitable. By Charley Hannagan, Syracuse Post-Standard
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Ohio Workers’ Comp Payments Hold Steady
Workers’ compensation payments to injured Ohioans and medical providers held steady into 2004 from 2003, but the amount workers set aside for coverage declined for the first time in four years, concludes a study by the nonprofit research group National Academy of Social Insurance. Ohio’s decline was above the national average at 3 cents per $100 drop. Dayton Business Journal
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West Virginia Employers’ Policy Protests Get Results
More than 80 percent of the West Virginia employers who disputed their most recent workers’ compensation insurance statements have succeeded in getting changes made to their policies, according to BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Company. By George Hohmann, Charleston Daily Mail
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More from the Mountain State: Agents Tag Delinquent Shops
West Virginia Insurance Commission agents make their way around the city of Charleston, posting 147 yellow signs on the doors of businesses that are operating without workers’ compensation insurance. “The notice also says the employer is now personally liable for any cost associated with an employee of theirs who is hurt while on the job,” says Insurance Commissioner Jane Cline. By George Hohmann, Charleston Daily Mail
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Teacher Fired over Affair with Student Gets Workers’ Comp
A Sydney teacher who lost his job for breaching student-teacher trust in connection with his relationship with a 15-year-old student is entitled to more than $21,000 in worker’s compensation—although the New South Wales’ Department of Education is looking at how to overturn the decision of the Workers’ Compensation Commission. The 54-year-old man claimed that the department’s handling of the inquiry left him clinically depressed and affected his ability to work. Australian
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New Mexico City Experiments with Safety Incentive Program
City councilors in Las Vegas, N.M. last week approved a safety incentive program for employees aimed at reducing workers’ compensation costs. By AP via KOB-TV (Albuquerque)
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Texas Governor to Return Gift from Felon He Says He Doesn’t Know
Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he doesn’t know why a felon from New York who was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for creating sham companies to get workers’ compensation insurance from California state funds for employee-leasing companies contributed $2,500 to his re-election fund, but the campaign is returning the money. By Wayne Slater, Dallas Morning News
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Mechanic Wins Suit for Injury Suffered at WCB Treatment Center
A mechanic who seriously injured his tailbone when he slipped and fell on snow on the driveway of a Workers’ Compensation Board treatment center in Edmonton, where he was taking return-to-work programs after an eye injury, wins his damage suit against the WCB. By Tony Blais, Edmonton Sun
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WorkSafeBC Plans to Cut Some Employers’ Contributions
Flush investment returns and stable injury rates could mean cuts as high as 20 percent in employer contribution rates for workers’ compensation in British Columbia. WorkSafeBC says the cuts are possible because its investment portfolio has generated gains of 12.5 percent, 10.3 percent and 13.4 percent over the past three years. By Michael Kane, Vancouver Sun
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