NCCI releases labor market report

• The NCCI released the latest edition of its Labor Market Insights report, which provides a monthly overview of key labor market statistics and potential impact on workers’ compensation.
• The U.S. job market ended 2023 on a strong note, with employers adding a net 216,000 jobs in December — including 164,000 in the private sector. Both the public sector and private trended up throughout the fourth quarter, a further sign that the labor market is moving towards balance rather than deteriorating.
• Overall, 2023 averaged net monthly gains of 225,000 jobs and 169,000 private jobs, down from 2022 but still healthy and near the pre-pandemic average. The top growing sectors for the year were education and healthcare, leisure and hospitality services, and government.
• Wage growth moderated in 2023 but remained robust even as the labor market moved to a more balanced state. This trend will likely persist into 2024 and continue to support payroll growth for workers’ compensation.
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SIRA issues Letter of Censure over workers’ comp

• The State Insurance Regulatory Authority issued a Letter of Censure to icare in respect of the failure to correctly apply indexation to workers’ compensation claims managed by the Nominal Insurer (NI) on its claims management system Guidewire, since its inception in 2019 to October 2022.
• icare first advised SIRA in September 2022 of a potential issue in the NI of non-compliance in the indexation of workers’ pre-injury average weekly earnings on historical claims managed before the introduction of the Guidewire claims management system.
• Sicare and SIRA engaged on an ongoing basis at both operational and executive levels around possible concerns with claims managed on the Guidewire system.
• SIRA’s primary concern in pressing this issue was that workers with claims managed on the Guidewire system were not receiving their full weekly entitlement.
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Texas Restaurant Association Safety Group gets dividend

• Texas Mutual recently announced that in December, the Texas Restaurant Association and Texas Mutual distributed $1.4 million in dividends to members of the Texas Restaurant Association Safety Group.
• Over 221 restaurants across the state earned a dividend for providing a safe workplace for their employees.
• Qualifying restaurants also received a combined $2.7 million through Texas Mutual’s June 2023 individual dividends bringing the end-of-year total payout to over $4.1 million.
• Texas Restaurant Association members have the opportunity to join the TRA Safety Group—a benefit that allows eligible restaurant operators who use Texas Mutual to join as one plan— accessing discounts on their workers’ compensation premiums and industry-specific safety resources.
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Ice cream plant faces fines

• OSHA has proposed $145,097 in penalties and issued citations alleging 12 serious violations to AJLS Enterprises Inc. for alleged violations at the Wisconsin ice cream plant.
• AJLS Enterprises, which does business as Schoep’s Ice Cream, allegedly lacked sufficient process safety management procedures to control the release of hazardous chemicals, in addition to other claims.
• Exposure to anhydrous ammonia, used in the refrigeration process, can cause respiratory injuries and burns to the skin and eyes.
• In 2022, federal regulators established a regional emphasis program for the food manufacturing industry to address multiple hazards.
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