An employee on Boston's Big Dig project who was injured in a collision that occurred when he fell asleep while driving home was denied workers' compensation benefits by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The employee had argued that he should be considered an exception to the "going and coming rule."
An employer in Oak Harbor, Washington, has been sentenced to spend two days in jail for failing to have a workers' compensation account and pay premiums.
Last year, California overhauled its troubled workers' comp system by giving insurance companies the right to ask outside medical experts for second opinions if they disagreed with courses of treatment prescribed for injured workers. But answering the question of who should be allowed to give that second opinion has touched off another debate.
California employers were hoping that legislation adopted a few years ago would ease workers' compensation costs. In 2004, dramatic savings were achieved--but by insurers, who largely failed to pass them on.
For the first time in five years, California employers are seeing the cost
of their workers' compensation premiums drop, according to the San
Jose Business Journal.
A panel of California lawmakers has agreed on a set of reforms for the state's troubled
workers' compensation system. Final votes are expected this week.
Wages and salaries accounted for 72.1 percent of the costs of compensation, while benefits accounted for the remaining 27.9 percent, according to the government.
A team of researchers found that people who are unhappy at their jobs and work under intense conditions are more likely to experience back pain than others, Reuters reports.
