Court upholds Walmart’s pregnancy policy
- Walmart did not violate the Pregnancy Discrimination Act with its corporate employees’ policy, according to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
- The case involved an issue at a center in Menomonie, Wis., where injured employees with lifting restrictions could be offered temporary light duty work.
- Walmart did not offer light duty to workers injured off the job or to pregnant workers.
- Instead, it required pregnant workers with lifting or other physical restrictions to go on leave and the court upheld that policy.
Fatal falls can be prevented
- OSHA uses a term called the “Fatal Four” to describe the top causes of fatalities and injuries on the job site and falls is at the top of the list.
- There are ways to prevent these incidents such as developing a specific plan for the job site and planning ahead before every job.
- The work site should also be prepped to avoid injuries and the correct equipment must be made available for the workers.
- Employers must make sure the workers are properly trained and daily walk-throughs must be scheduled to ensure continued safety.
Calif. chiropractor gets 14 months for kickbacks
- A chiropractor was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for taking kickbacks from Pacific Hospital in Long Beach, Calif.
- Brian Carrico of Redondo Beach, Calif., was also ordered to pay a fine of $25,000.
- Carrico’s two companies, Performance Medical & Rehab Center Inc., and One Accord Management Inc., each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to solicit kickbacks.
- Judge Staton also sentenced Carrico’s companies to one year of probation and fined them each $250,000.
Texas restaurant owners indicted for workers’ comp fraud
- The owner of an East Austin restaurant and her manager were indicted for their alleged role in a $350,000 workers’ compensation fraud scheme.
- Allison Clem, manager of la Barbecue, and her wife, LeAnn Mueller, who owns the food truck and restaurant, are scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 28.
- An employee of the restaurant suffered severe injuries while operating a piece of kitchen equipment.
- Clem later contacted Paychex Insurance to get workers’ compensation coverage, something the restaurant had been without since November 2014.