Orlando construction company owner committed workers’ comp fraud

• A construction company owner in Orlando, Florida, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for his role in a $3.5 million tax evasion scheme.
• Wendel Algarin was sentenced by a federal judge last week after pleading guilty5 to tax fraud for operating a scheme from 2012 to 2019, aiding subcontractors in evading payroll taxes and workers’ comp insurance premiums.
• Court documents reveal that Algarin collaborated with subcontractors to pay undocumented construction workers “off the books.”
• In exchange for his assistance, Algarin received fees totaling nearly $2 million, which he used to fuel a lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of multiple luxury automobiles.
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Pennsylvania firm gets award for workplace safety, savings on workers’ comp

• The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry commended Right of Way Clearing & Maintenance, Inc. and those represented by three unions for their implementation of innovative safety policies that keep workers safe on the job.
• Certified workplace safety committees, supported by the state’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Health & Safety Division, are effective tools for Pennsylvania businesses to protect their workers and save money.
• Pennsylvania employers who establish certified workplace safety committees receive a 5 percent discount on their workers’ compensation insurance premiums.
• Employers with certified workplace safety committees have saved more than $895 million in workers’ comp premiums.
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• WCRI: Mental health comorbidities related to poorer functional outcomes
• A new Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) study recently found that mental health comorbidities — anxiety, depression, sleep dysfunction — had a stronger association with smaller functional recoveries than physical health comorbidities — diabetes, hypertension, obesity.
• The study is based on a large sample of 68,850 workers injured on the job and receiving physical therapy for low back pain.
• Comorbidities are common among injured workers, with the most prevalent being hypertension, arthritis, sleep dysfunction, depression, and anxiety or panic disorders.
• The timeliness of providing physical therapy services for low back pain is strongly related to improved functional outcomes.
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Company fined after workplace injury

• Humphrey Fleet Services in Stratford, Ont., has been fined $55,000 following a workplace injury involving a wire grinding wheel.
• The worker was replacing a trailer’s rear light assembly on April 20, in a job that involved removing the lightbox, straightening it with a bottle jack, and reinstalling it with four bolts.
• A piece of wire was ejected from the wheel head, and the worker was not wearing any eye protection at the time.
• Humphrey Fleet Service is a heavy-duty truck and trailer shop.
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