Safety Inspections Impact On Workers’ Comp

• New study finds workplace safety and health inspections had limited impact on a company’s workers’ compensation claim experience.
• Transportation firms, however, with more than one inspection did see a 28% reduction in claim rate two years after the inspection compared to firms that weren’t inspected.
• Study finds construction firms that were inspected had a 12% increase in their workers’ comp claim rate a year after the inspection.
• The Alberta study concludes that workplace safety inspections alone may not be enough to encourage compliance or hazard abatement.
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Spousal Benefits Bill Introduced

• Pennsylvania State Representative Lindsay Powell (D-Allegheny) introduced a bill to clarify the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act’s benefit provisions for spouses of first responders killed in the line of duty.
• Powell’s bill would continue death benefits for spouses even if they choose to remarry.
• Current law keeps retirement pensions in place at 50% for surviving spouses but death benefits cease upon remarriage.
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