To fill critical openings and to maintain flexibility in economic uncertainty, more employers are hiring temporary workers. OSHA and other organizations have long argued that temporary workers are at increased risk of injury because they are often placed in various jobs, which can be hazardous, aren’t properly trained, have language and cultural barriers, and are […]
There’s much good news in workers’ comp – rates have fallen in most states, frequency of injuries continues to decline, and the industry is healthy – but employers should be concerned by the rising costs of claims when they do occur. Workers comp is one of the most loss-sensitive insurance policies – the more you […]
For the first time, the new National Emphasis Program (NEP) https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/heat-nep-factsheet-en.pdf creates a nationwide enforcement mechanism to proactively inspect workplaces for heat-related hazards (outdoors and/or indoors) in general industry, maritime, construction, or agricultural operations. OSHA plans to initiate programmed (pre-planned) inspections in over 70 high-risk industries in indoor and outdoor work settings when the National […]
While many employers anticipated an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) regarding COVID-19 on March 15 per President Biden’s Executive Order, OSHA took an unusual step and launched a COVID-19 National Emphasis Program (NEP) https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/enforcement/directives/DIR_2021-01_CPL-03.pdf on March 12 before issuing the ETS. It is expected that an ETS will be forthcoming, but the only official statement from […]
As Certified WorkComp Advisors (CWCA), we are trained, certified, and mentored by the Institute of WorkComp Professionals (IWCP) to guide employers to the lowest possible workers’ comp costs. Kevin Ring, Chief Operations Officer and Lead Workers Comp Analyst of IWCP recently reported on a consequential pattern that is emerging from Workers’ Compensation audits across the […]
Even the best-intentioned employers find the constantly changing federal OSHA guidance on COVID-19 unnerving. For example, consider the decision whether to report an employee’s hospitalization or death due to COVID-19, which was addressed with different guidance in April, May, July, and, most recently, October (see OSHA watch). Moreover, few citations were issued in the Spring […]
It is a time like no other for insurance renewals. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic fallout have upended the decades-long certainty within the workers’ compensation market that let employers reap the benefits of a soft market. Steep declines in premiums as a result of historic unemployment and falling payrolls suppressed investment returns from […]
While an IRS audit strikes fear in the hearts of business owners, a Workers’ Compensation premium audit is considered routine. Yet, there is a very good chance that it can result in higher charges, particularly if you are not adequately prepared. Clerical errors, incorrect classifications, and miscalculations often lead to overcharges. There are two important […]
The Institute’s Leader Workers’ Compensation Analyst, Kevin Ring, was featured on the December 18th episode of the Connected Insurance Podcast, produced by Agency Revolution. In this conversation, Kevin discusses strategies that are working today to get employers excited about workers’ compensation, despite drastically falling rates. Check it out here.
In a standard interpretation https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2019-07-11 issued earlier this year, OSHA answered the question: Are online training programs acceptable for compliance with OSHA’s worker training requirements? Interestingly, this standard interpretation is very similar in wording to one issued 25 years ago. While the agency acknowledges that online training is a useful component of an overall training […]
