Things you should know
AMTrust releases report on restaurant injuries
AmTrust reviewed 130,000 restaurant industry claims submitted between 2018 and 2023 and found that disc, vertebrae, and spinal cord injuries average $60,000 to $85,000 in overall costs but amount to less than 1 percent of all the claims. The most common injuries are cuts, punctures, and scrapes but they have a low average cost of $1,798 per claim. Burns and scalds from hot surfaces and oil are the second-largest category with an average claim cost of $4,326. Of the top five most common causes, strains have the highest average cost of $10,672.
Report on head protection practices
The International Safety Equipment Association and J. J. Keller & Associates Inc. recently released a study to better understand practices and challenges related to head protection.
Massachusetts DPH offers sample written control plans on bloodborne and airborne pathogen exposure
Intended to give small healthcare employers an "easy-to-use format" for a written exposure control plan, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has published sample written plans for a respiratory protection program and bloodborne pathogen exposure control.
Rising releases 2023 Benchmarking Study
The 11th annual Workers' Compensation Benchmarking Study Report by Rising Medical Solutions turned its focus to the challenges, motivations, and experiences of more than 1,300 frontline claims professionals. Nurse case management, utilization review, and return-to-work services were identified as the top medical management capabilities most critical to claim outcomes and return-to-work / patient functional outcomes was the most important measure of provider quality.
Report examines how retail employees feel about their safety
The Retail Report: Workplace Violence Prevention Pulse Survey shows generational differences in workplace violence training and reporting and addresses strategies employers can pursue to protect their workers.
New rule establishes mandatory minimum safety standards for rail transit employees who work on or near tracks
Effective Dec. 2, a new Federal Transit Administration rule directs rail transit agencies to establish multiple track worker protections, including "the right to challenge and refuse in good faith any assignment based on on-track safety concerns and resolve such challenges and refusals promptly and equitably."
New rule revises work zone safety for first time since 2004
A new Federal Highway Administration rule, effective December 2, aims to improve safety and mobility for workers and drivers in roadway work zones. The rule revises the agency's Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule and the Temporary Traffic Control Devices Rule.
EPA updates ventilation guidance to curb the spread of respiratory viruses
Updated guidance from EPA aims to help employers prevent the spread of respiratory viruses in the workplace.
Brake safety results in
The results of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's annual Brake Safety Week of trucks and buses inspections conducted Aug. 25-31 shows of the nearly 17,000 vehicles inspected, more than 2,100 (12.8 percent) were placed out of service. Vehicle inspectors placed special emphasis on brake linings and pads, uncovering more than 650 violations.
State News
California
- AB 1870 expanded work comp poster and notice requirements to include attorney consultation provisions. The Office of Administrative Law has approved the updated DWC Form 7 (Notice to Employees - Injuries Caused by Work).
- A new Workers' Compensation Institute (CWCI) Report explores how medical inflation impacts allowable fees under the Official Medical Fee Schedule (OMFS).
Florida
- Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky approved an average one percent rate decrease for work comp policies starting on Jan. 1, 2025. The NCCI noted the rate decrease would have been larger (6.4 percent), but for a recently enacted bill increasing physician reimbursements.
Indiana
- The average medical payment per claim of Indiana workers is rising, according to a recent report by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) due to nonhospital services costs, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), fluctuations in hospital payments, and utilization decreases.
Minnesota
- The Department of Labor and Industry's Business Technology Unit has created new training tools for Work Comp Campus users including affidavit of service from campus, initiate a dispute when a claim cannot be found, navigate Work Comp Campus like a pro (with voiceover), and documents tab update.
New York
- Beginning this month the Workers Compensation Board will use a new procedure to expedite claims for additional sites of injury and consequential injuries.
- An appeals court ruled a law created nearly 50 years ago to ensure a serial killer couldn't profit from his murder spree supersedes work comp law and allows the state to take a murderer's work comp settlement to pay victim restitution.