Workplace shootings face legal loopholes
- Walmart argued that lawsuits following a mass shooting at a Chesapeake, Va., store should be dismissed.
- The company claims the incident happened in the workplace and falls under workers’ compensation coverage.
- “The result of intentional assaults by coworkers, which fall within the [Virginia Workers’ Compensation] Act,” the court documents said.
- A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit involving people killed at a FedEx Ground facility in Indiana because the claims were part of the workers’ compensation act, which fell outside of federal court jurisdiction.
Guidelines for blizzards
- Snow storms have wreaked havoc across the U.S. in the past month and the worst might be yet to come.
- OSHA is reminding blizzard recovery workers and employers to be aware of the hazards and safeguards associated with storm recovery work.
- Winter weather can expose outdoor workers to fatal afflictions, such as frostbite, hypothermia, and cold stress
- It is important to know the wind chill temperature to better prepare and perform the work safely.
Rates decline in Tennessee
- The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance announced that workers’ compensation insurance premiums will decline for most businesses in 2023 for the 10th consecutive year.
- TDCI Commissioner Carter Lawrence signed the order approving a 10.2 percent overall loss cost decrease for the voluntary market beginning March 1, 2023, on new and renewal policies.
- Since Tennessee’s workers’ compensation system reforms began in 2014, Tennessee employers have seen substantial savings with these loss cost reductions.
- Tennessee employers have also reported fewer significant workplace injuries, which has contributed to the reduction in loss costs.
Roofing companies pile up penalties
- Fall hazards are one of OSHA’s most frequently-cited violations for roofing contractors, and there were some heavy fines in the past year.
- ALJ Home Improvement of Nanuet, N.Y., received $1,343,363 in proposed penalties after the OSHA investigated an employee’s fatal fall, which was the second in three years.
- OSHA proposed a total of $1,201,031 in penalties after an employee working with DME Construction Associates of Setauket, N.Y., died after falling 18 feet through an unprotected skylight.
- Premier South Roofing LLC of Baton Rouge, La., faces $249,323 in proposed penalties from both inspections after a worker died when he lost his footing and fell through a skylight.