More challenges for workplace industries
- Data by the NCCI showed a trend in increasing claim severity in the workers’ comp industry.
- Factors such as an aging workforce, medical inflation from expensive technology, and rising wages leading to higher indemnity costs are behind this trend.
- To prevent this issue, companies should encourage employees to take breaks to ensure they are not fatigued when injuries can happen.
- Poorly-designed workspaces can also lead to injuries so firms need to analyze that part of their operations.
Troubles with oil and gas extraction workers
- Oil and gas extraction workers are more likely to die on the job over the span of a decade, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of work-related death in the industry, but experts cannot specifically figure out why this is happening.
- OSHA studied risky driving among oil and gas extraction workers based in Colorado, North Dakota, and Texas.
- Between October 2017 and February 2019, 498 of these workers said work schedules, workplace policies, and risky driving events are some of the biggest challenges.
Walmart reaches settlement
- Walmart will pay $500,000 to settle court filing for prescription over-pricing violations in the state of Massachusetts.
- The retailer’s pharmacies in Massachusetts allegedly failed to follow required procedures when pricing workers’ compensation prescription costs
- Massachusetts state regulations mandate that pharmacy retailers follow established procedures when pricing prescriptions.
- This includes ensuring pharmacies follow procedures and review prescription costs against regulatory benchmarks to prevent overcharging customers and manage costs.
Texas Mutual provides $3,5M in grants
- Texas Mutual Insurance Company provides more than $3.5 million in grants to nearly 50 organizations to support workforce development and safety training.
- The grants are part of the company’s larger commitment of $7 million in RFP grant funding to non-profits.
- The grants are given in two categories: generational learning to support working families and workforce development and safety training.
- Recipients received the grants for their focus on training the current and future workforce, creating strong pathways for middle-skill jobs and “earn-and-learn” initiatives.