As temperatures climb across the country, July marks Extreme Heat Awareness Month—a timely reminder for employers to evaluate the risks extreme heat poses to their workforce, especially those in outdoor or non-climate-controlled environments. Heat-related illnesses can happen quickly and have serious consequences. From heat exhaustion and dehydration to heat stroke, the impacts are not just health-related—they also...
The proportion of remote workers surged during the initial onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, some employees have gradually returned to the office, but a considerable share either continue to work from home full-time or utilize hybrid arrangements. Over the years, this trend has posed new occupational safety challenges, making it more difficult for...
As the workforce ages, employers must adapt to ensure the safety and productivity of their older employees. Many baby boomers are delaying retirement or reentering the workforce, so the number of employees aged 55 and older is rising. While these workers bring valuable experience and engagement to their roles, they also face unique safety challenges...
The workers’ compensation insurance segment has been an outlier compared to other lines of commercial coverage, with most policyholders encountering softening conditions and modest rate decreases for nearly a decade. According to the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), strong reserves and manageable claims frequency and severity helped generate an average combined ratio of 91...
The U.S. workers’ compensation market had another strong year, posting a combined ratio of 86% for 2024 for an 11th consecutive year of underwriting profitability, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance’s (NCCI) annual State of the Line report. “The workers’ compensation system continues an era of exceptional performance with strong results and a...
On April 17, 2025, OSHA released its 2024 workplace injury and illness data that was collected from its Injury Tracking Application (ITA). The data came from 370,000 reports submitted on the OSHA Form 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses. In addition, OSHA has posted partial data from more than 732,000 OSHA Forms 300 Log...
On April 21, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a pivotal legal dispute regarding the constitutionality of a key component of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) preventive care mandate. The Court’s decision in this case, Kennedy v. Braidwood Management Inc., will impact the requirement for health plans and health insurance issuers...
California OSHA (Cal/OSHA) has amended its fall protection standards in residential construction and roofing. The amendments include making the fall protection height standard 6 feet instead of 15 feet, making it more uniform to align with federal OSHA standards, and removing the term “impractical” and replacing it with “infeasible” within certain fall protection requirements. This...
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...