Long-term opioid prescriptions greatly increase the duration of temporary disability
The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) examined the impact of opioid prescriptions on the duration of temporary disability benefits for workers with lower back injuries. The conclusion: long-term opioid prescriptions lead to temporary disability durations more than three times longer...
Continue ReadingGetting LOTO wrong could cost
Getting LOTO wrong is costly Here’s how to get it right Many companies believe they are in compliance with OSHA’s Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) standard; yet, it is one of the most difficult to comply with and is the number five violation...
Continue ReadingLock out Tag out – energization removed
OSHA’s removal of the term “unexpected energization” from the LOTO standard likely to lead to more citations Under the Obama administration, OSHA began an effort under the Standards Improvement Project 4 to fix minor, noncontroversial issues in several existing regulations,...
Continue ReadingTrends in combatting abuse and fraud in Workers’ Compensation
Fraud or abuse that might not reach the legal requirements for criminal sanctions happens in all aspects of the Workers’ Comp system. There’s employee fraud, employer fraud, health provider fraud, attorney fraud, and even insurer and claims adjuster fraud. The...
Continue ReadingWhat employers should expect from an insurance agent?
By Kevin Ring Institute of Work Comp Professionals Editor’s note: Kevin Ring, CWCA, CWCA, MWCA, is Lead Analyst at Institute of WorkComp Professionals, Asheville, NC of which we are a member. It trains, certifies independent insurance agents and their support...
Continue ReadingHurricane recovery: Workers’ Comp implications
Be sure your employees are covered when going out of state to assist with recovery The requirements for Workers’ Comp vary by state and the important message here is that if you have employees traveling out of state you want...
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