workers comp

November 20, 2023

Fostering a Culture of Workplace Safety

Fostering a strong safety culture provides many benefits. In addition to reducing the risk of workplace accidents, such a culture can also help improve employee morale, enhance a business’s reputation and minimize related costs and liabilities. This article explains what it means to have a strong safety culture, outlines associated benefits and provides strategies companies...

November 16, 2023

NLRB and OSHA Announce Partnership to Strengthen Worker Safety Protections

On Oct. 31, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding a partnership to strengthen worker safety protections. The partnership is designed to enhance protections for workers who speak out about health and safety conditions in the workplace or engage in a...

November 9, 2023

Employer-reported Nonfatal Workplace Injuries and Illnesses Up 7.5% From 2021

Private industry employers reported a 7.5% increase in nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022 compared to 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The incidence rate of total recordable cases was 2.7 cases per 100 workers who are full-time equivalent (FTE). In 2022, the rate of injury cases remained at 2.3 cases...

October 26, 2023

Fall Protection Tops List of OSHA Citations for 2023

For the 13th consecutive year, lack of fall protection topped the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s preliminary top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2023. OSHA tallied 7,271 violations of its general fall protection requirements, according to the list released Tuesday at the National Safety Council’s Safety Congress & Expo....

October 16, 2023

NCCI Deconstructs Trends Around High-Cost Workers’ Comp Claims

There’s widespread interest in large claim trends for compelling reasons — they can be devastating for the injured worker and can have significant implications for carrier operations. Workplace injuries that result in large claims — e.g., exceeding $1 million in claim costs — form a small share of all lost-time claims, less than 0.5%. But they...

October 5, 2023

Upcoming NCCI Experience Modification Changes for 2024

The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) is making alterations to its experience modification factor for 2024. These changes are slated to go into effect on each state’s regular filing date on or after Nov. 1, 2023. This Work Comp Insights will provide an overview of the NCCI’s changes. Overview of Changes The NCCI governs...

September 25, 2023

Workplace Accidents Can Be Costly

We all know that safety is essential in construction, but do you realize just how costly a job site injury can be? According to the National Safety Council, the average cost per workplace injury is $1,300. It may not seem like all that much, but the extra expense to pay for injuries has a powerfully...

August 18, 2023

OSHA’s New National Emphasis Program Aimed at Preventing Warehouse Injury and Heat Hazards and Its Possible Implications on California

On July 13, 2023, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) announced the launch of a three-year National Emphasis Program meant to prevent workplace hazards in warehouses, processing facilities, distribution centers, and high-risk retail establishments. OSHA’s announcement explains that warehousing and distribution centers have experienced tremendous growth over the past 10 years, with over 1.9 million...

August 16, 2023

The Tech that Could Shape the Future of Workplace Safety

While artificial intelligence, wearable tech and exoskeletons are not yet commonplace at every worksite, it is a very real possibility that these technologies, and a host of other emerging ones, will play critical roles in the future of work safety and workers’ compensation. To find out what technologies are making a difference, or showing the potential to...

August 15, 2023

What is an Experience Modification Factor?

The experience modification factor (EMF) plays a significant role in the cost of workers’ compensation insurance premiums. Also known as the e-mod, this figure represents an employer’s workers’ compensation claims history compared to other businesses of a similar size in the same industry. It is determined based on a formula set by the National Council...