Steps for workers comp when employees work from home
- About 6 in 10 workers in the U.S. said that their jobs could be mainly done from home were working remotely most or all of the time, according to a Pew Research Center survey.
- Remote workers are typically covered by workers’ compensation.
- Work-related injuries while teleworking only count if the injury happened as the result of an accident that occurred “in the course of” and “arising out of” employment.
- From a compliance and legal standpoint, when an employee tells their employer they sustained an injury while working from home, the employer should get as much information as possible about the details of the incident.
Federal court denies health firm’s bid to prevent damages
- The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York denied a Staten Island health provider’s attempt to prevent the U.S. Dept. of Labor from pursuing damages for a COVID-19 whistleblower whose private state claim was dismissed.
- The department filed suit against Community Health Center of Richmond Inc. and its CEO, Henry Thompson, alleging that they violated the OSHA Act.
- The two defendants suspended and later terminated an employee who reported their concerns about the potential for COVID-19 exposure at an in-person staff meeting.
- The employer sought to prevent the department from seeking individual damages for the whistleblower arguing that the dismissal of the former employee’s prior state whistleblower claim prevents the department from obtaining monetary relief for the aggrieved worker.
Town finds big saving for workers comp costs
- The finance committee in Superior, Wisconsin, approved a one-year proposal from Community Insurance Corp. and Marsh & McLellan Agency to provide municipal liability and self-funded workers’ compensation and other insurance.
- Th move will save the city of Superior $165,950 next year.
- Savings on workers’ compensation alone will come to about $100,000 when the cost of processing the claims is taken into consideration.
- Under the plan, the most the city would pay out-of-pocket for any one workers’ compensation claim is $100,000; anything above that would be covered by insurance.
Business leaders oppose workers comp hike
- A group of business leaders in Washington state opposes the Department of Labor & Industries’ proposed overall average rate increase of 4.8% in workers’ compensation to ensure adequate premiums to cover expected costs of 2023 claims.
- The increase, if implemented, will negatively impact the small family farms that make up 89% of all farms in Washington, the group claims.
- “The proposed average 4.8% rate increase will mean additional labor costs of over $10 million for these small farms in 2023,” said Lobbyist Tom Kwieciak, who represents area business associations.
- Kwieciak also predicted the potential rise in the costs could exacerbate the current housing crisis.