workers comp
May 28, 2024
Survey Reveals Small Business Safety Concerns, Unusual Claims
Understanding workplace safety risks and being properly prepared can help protect businesses and employees from a wide range of potential workplace hazards, including spiders and robots. Pie Insurance Services Inc. recently surveyed 1,034 small business owners, those with less than 500 employees, to uncover insights into top safety concerns, how prepared businesses are for summer...
May 17, 2024
Is Your Pool Ready for a Workers’ Compensation Catastrophe?
Catastrophic work injuries occur every day to many employers of all sizes and occupations. Regardless of the size or type of membership served, every pool faces this exposure. These life-changing claims are complex, individualistic, and require much higher standards of coordination and communication. Not having a plan in place to respond to a catastrophic injury...
May 9, 2024
Behavioral Health Issues Add Costs and Delay Injured Worker Recovery
Injured workers with identified behavioral health conditions experienced markedly longer return-to-work timelines and slower claims resolution compared to the average lost-time claim, according to an analysis by Sentry Insurance. Sentry analyzed over 45,000 workers’ compensation claims from 2012-2019, focusing on key health conditions, including chronic pain, chronic pain with medication, and psychosocial factors. Based on...
April 1, 2024
Most Common Questions of Workers’ Comp Claimants Show Where Change Is Needed
The most frequently asked questions in workers’ compensation claims reveal opportunities for improved communication and efficiency in the claims process, according to an analysis by Hi Marley, a communication platform for insurers. Using the findings can help insurance carriers and employers to streamline operations, support faster recovery for injured workers, manage expectations and provide peace of mind, Hi Marley stated. The study categorized inbound questions from workers’ compensation claimants within the Hi Marley platform. The most common inquiries related to payment status and amount (26%), contact with the adjuster (24%), and provider scheduling and approval activities (22%). Other inquiries from claimants focused on process explanation (14%), benefits (9%), and documentation (5%). These findings suggest that many of the most common questions could be addressed through proactive outreach, automation, and standardization of communications. For instance, carriers can use predefined message templates for scheduling reminders, which can support faster recovery and reduce claim cycle time and costs. Automated updates on the claim process and payment status can help manage expectations and provide peace of mind for injured workers. “With most people dealing with an accident on the job, it’s their first...
February 12, 2024
Types of Transitional Duties in Return-to-Work Programs
When an employee experiences an occupational illness or injury, their eventual return to the workplace can create considerable challenges, putting significant stress on both the individual and their employer. Nevertheless, return-to-work (RTW) programs can help alleviate these concerns by supporting staff as they reintegrate into the workforce. These programs may entail having an injured employee...
February 6, 2024
OSHA Proposes to Issue a New Emergency Response Standard
On Feb. 5, 2024, OSHA published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to issue a new safety and health standard, titled Emergency Response, to replace the existing Fire Brigades standard. The new standard would address a broader scope of emergency responders and include programmatic elements to protect emergency responders from various occupational hazards. OSHA requests...
January 23, 2024
Best Practices for Return-to-Work Programs
One of the biggest components of workers’ compensation is an effective return-to-work (RTW) program. Eliminating injuries and illnesses is paramount for reducing workers’ compensation costs, but after an incident, an RTW program can significantly reduce workers’ compensation costs for employers and improve the lives of employees by getting them back to work when there is...
January 11, 2024
California Will Require Employers to Develop Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
On Sept. 30, 2023, California adopted Senate Bill 553 (SB 553), a bill that requires employers to establish a workplace violence prevention plan (WVPP), document incidents of workplace violence and train employees on how to identify workplace violence hazards by July 1, 2024. Affected Employers SB 553 applies to California employers. State law defines “employer”...
December 13, 2023
2024 Workers’ Compensation Insurance Market Outlook
Market Outlook Profitable underwriting results have generated favorable conditions across the workers’ compensation insurance segment for nearly a decade. According to the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), the segment produced a combined ratio of 87 in 2022, demonstrating continued profitability. These conditions pressed on in 2023, but industry experts reported that reserve redundancies stemming...
December 7, 2023
OSHA Form 300A Posting Requirements Begin Feb. 1
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers subject to its recordkeeping requirements to post copies of their OSHA Form 300A between Feb. 1 and April 30 of each year. The OSHA Form 300A, also known as the “Summary of Work-related Injuries and Illnesses,” must be completed by Feb. 1 using data from the...