Quote of the day
"The evidence...is pretty clear to me that MRSA staph infection bacteria are present in our fire stations and these firefighters are getting it from that."
Fresno City Councilman Jerry Duncan on city firefighters are seeking workers' comp coverage for the ailments, which the city denies are work-related.
Fresno Firefighters Want Coverage for Staph Inspections
Firefighters at three Fresno stations say the city should cover their medical expenses for staph infections—some of which doctors may have misdiagnosed—under workers’ compensation, while the city says they firefighters cannot prove the drug-resistant skin ailments are work-related. A Fresno City Council member says first responders sometimes get the infections because they come into contact with drug abusers and the homeless, and because they live in close quarters at their stations.
Go to the full story by Itica Milanes, KFSN-TV (Fresno)
Go to the full story by Matt Leedy, Fresno Bee
San Diego’s Surplus Could Shore Up Workers’ Comp Fund
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders says he will he will offer recommendations for the $44 million budget surplus in a five-year spending plan and would consider using it for one-time capital improvement projects or the city’s workers’ compensation and public liability funds. By Michael T. Hall, San Diego Union-Tribune
Go to the Full Story…
Utah Takes More Active Role in Mine Safety
A new mine safety commission, the creation of Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr., in response to the collapses at the Crandall Canyon Mine last month that led to the deaths of six miners and three rescue workers, is expected to hear testimony from mine operators and nearby residents when it meets for the second time. The panel is an indication that Utah is considering a greater role in regulating its 13 coal mines after 30 years of deferring to federal regulators. By Dan Frosch, New York Times [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Workers’ Comp Case Records Show Officer Was on Restricted Duty
A Maryland police corporal, who fatally shot one unarmed furniture deliveryman in January and injured another, had been placed on restrictive duty a decade ago for stress. The psychiatrist’s report is among several medical assessments introduced as exhibits in the officer’s workers’ compensation case. WBAL-TV (Baltimore)
Go to the Full Story…
Garden State Labor Officials Announce New Workers’ Comp Rates
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development announces the proposed annual changes for 2008 in the maximum benefit rates and taxable wage base for the state’s workers’ compensation program. By Joe Hart, Cape May County Herald
Go to the Full Story…
U.K. Statistics Show Grim Effects of Staying Off Work
In the U.K., one in 13 of the working population claims incapacity benefit, and those off work for six to 12 months have a 90 percent chance of not be returning to work in the foreseeable future. Moreover, if they are off for more than two years, they are more likely to retire or die than return to work. By Lesley Morrison, Herald (U.K.)
Go to the Full Story…
Scotland Grapples with Attacks on Health Staffers
More than 20,000 attacks against National Health Service workers are reported each year in Scotland, suggesting verbal and physical abuse of doctors, nurses and other health service workers, especially mental heath staffers, has reached record levels. The actual figure is likely to be much higher since information from health boards does not include attacks on general practitioners and their staff and paramedics. By Lyndsay Moss, Scotsman
Go to the Full Story…