California dealing with more increases
- California’s public self-insured workforce increased less than 1% in the 12 months ending June 30.
- However, the total number of public self-insured work injuries and illness claims reported to the state jumped 35%, as the medical-only claim count rose 29.9% while the number of indemnity claims soared by 38.1%.
- With claim volume up steeply, total workers’ compensation paid losses for cities, counties, and other public agencies in California increased by 31.5% to a record $585 million in the fiscal year 2021-2022.
- Total incurred losses (paid plus reserves) rose 19.3% to nearly $1.68 billion.
An investigation leads to a proposed $304,556 fine
- A federal investigation into the deaths of two workers buried under a pile of shifting coal at a Pueblo, Colorado, industrial loading facility found their employer failed to follow required federal standards.
- As the three employees of Savage Services Corp. climbed onto the coal pile to determine if the feeder below was receiving coal, the pile shifted and buried two workers, while a third employee escaped without injury.
- Savage Services faces $304,556 in proposed penalties for one serious violation and two willful violations for failing to implement safe work practices and for not training workers.
- In a similar incident in 2020, a coal pile collapsed onto a bulldozer at a company facility in New Mexico.
Oregon sees rise in workers’ comp cases
- Oregon’s Workers’ Compensation Division received notification of 44 compensable fatalities in 2021, 11 more workplace fatal accidents than in 2020.
- The number of compensable fatalities in 2021 is the highest since 2008 when 46 notifications were received for workers who perished on the job.
- Of the 44 compensable fatalities in 2021, eight were the result of infection with the COVID-19 virus.
- COVID infection accounted for 80 percent of all compensable fatalities resulting from exposure to harmful substances, and 50 percent of compensable fatalities with people, plants, animals, or minerals.
Walmart agrees to pay fines for workers’ comp infractions
- Walmart agreed to pay $500,000 after allegedly failing to follow prescription pricing procedures that are in place to keep costs down and prevent overcharges in the workers’ compensation insurance system
- The pricing procedures are required by Massachusetts regulations to ensure that prescription costs will be reviewed against certain regulatory benchmarks.
- Walmart allegedly failed to follow those regulations when applying prices for various injured worker prescriptions at Walmart pharmacy locations in Massachusetts.
- Walmart denies any wrongdoing.