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workers compensation

Top Five Mistakes Drivers Make

For many drivers, getting behind the wheel is second nature, so it’s easy to make errors without realizing it. However, these errors can lead to serious accidents. Keep yourself and others safe on the road by avoiding these mistakes: 1. Tailgating Leave a three-second cushion between you and the vehicle in front of you. Leave even more time when road conditions are bad or when you’re travelling at higher speeds. 2. Stopping Instead of Yielding Accidents can happen when drivers stop at a yield sign. “Yield” simply means to slow down and let the traffic on the road you are… Read More »Top Five Mistakes Drivers Make

Remote Work and Telecommuting Liability Exposures

Remote work arrangements, including telecommuting and working from satellite offices, have increased at nearly one-third of U.S. companies, according to a survey of chief financial officers released Wednesday. • Keep remote workers informed on the latest news from their departments and the company using regular calls and in-person meetings in addition to email. • Ensure that off-site employees have the necessary resources, including appropriate network access. • Establish expectations and guidelines at the beginning, and monitor the arrangement and adjust as necessary. • Establish and follow appropriate security protocols. • Include remote workers in team activities and recognize their accomplishments… Read More »Remote Work and Telecommuting Liability Exposures

When your Employees Covered under USL&H

The U.S. Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Act covers “employees,” defined as “any person engaged in maritime employment, including any longshoreman or other person engaged in longshoring operations, and any harbor-worker including a ship repairman, shipbuilder, and ship-breaker,” exempting some specific jobs. 33 U.S.C. § 902(3). The original Longshore Act only covered injuries occurring on the navigable waters of the United States to individuals working for a “maritime employer.” While the term “maritime employer” continues to have great currency in case law, qualifying as such is not an explicit requirement for coverage. Instead, the Act refers to an “employer,” defined as… Read More »When your Employees Covered under USL&H

Electronic Audit of Insurance Premium

Business insurance premium is subject to audit: workers compensation audits payroll, product liability audits sales, payroll as well is under audit in the construction industry. And if you ever had business insurance and gone through the audit, I am sure you’d been wondering around confusing forms on multiple pages, that required you some calculations and even your accountant was raising the eyebrow. Well, lucky us, no longer that would be the case with policy written through Select Travelers Insurance as the national rollout of our new ePHR (Electronic Policyholder Report) audit process to all eligible Select Policyholder is taking place… Read More »Electronic Audit of Insurance Premium

Can Employer Pass Workers Comp. Cost to Employees?

Employers cannot pass their workers compensation premium expenses on to employees, Massachusetts’ Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, Aug 31, 2011. The ruling in Pius Awuah et al. vs. Coverall North America Inc. followed a federal judge’s finding that Coverall misclassified actual employees as independent contractors. The judge then posed several questions to Massachusetts’ Supreme Court. Among other matters, he asked the state high court to determine whether state law allows an employer and an employee to agree that the employee will pay workers comp insurance costs. According to court records, Coverall entered into franchise agreements with individuals to provide commercial janitorial… Read More »Can Employer Pass Workers Comp. Cost to Employees?

Workers Comp Fraud With Check Cashing Firms

Florida officials, law enforcement officers and trade groups are working to stop check cashing companies from aiding workers’ compensation fraud in the construction industry. Officials are to investigate the role of check cashing companies in order to develop a legislative recommendations for the next year sessions. According to the officials, schemes involve individuals who set up fake companies that apply for a workers comp. policy. Subcontractors then pay the shell company to use the policy and obtain a certificate of insurance to show general contractors they have insurance. Once the job is completed, the general contractor then writes a check to… Read More »Workers Comp Fraud With Check Cashing Firms

Subrogation Limits in Workers Comp. Cases

A ruling handed down by California’s Supreme Court represents a loss for workers compensation payers’ ability to pursue subrogation claims against certain third parties responsible for an employee’s injuries. Ruling in Seabright Insurance Co. vs. US Airways Inc., the court said Monday that an insurer cannot sue a third-party company when the hiring company fails to follow safety regulations and an injury results. The case involved an employee of Lloyd W. Aubry Co., which US Airways hired to maintain a luggage conveyor at San Francisco International Airport. The conveyor lacked safety guards required under California occupational safety regulations, the court… Read More »Subrogation Limits in Workers Comp. Cases

Finally, California Workers Comp. Rate Decrease

The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California on Thursday said it will call for a pure premium rate decrease of 1.8% under a new loss cost calculation method. If adopted by California’s Department of Insurance, the suggested rate decrease would take effect Jan. 1, 2010. The new rates the WCIRB is proposing for about 500 industry classifications are projected to average $2.33 per $100 of payroll. That is 1.8% less than the corresponding average of insurer-filed pure premium rates as of July 1, 2011, it said. But although the WCIRB is recommending a pure premium rate reduction, it also… Read More »Finally, California Workers Comp. Rate Decrease

Payroll billing – pay as you go – workers compensation insurance

Not a long while ago, the payroll billing premium was available only through a state compensation insurance company, for a large premium account or sometimes through a payroll company like Paycheck that was calculating the premium as they calculate your monthly payroll. Lucky us, Hartford Insurance Company has introduced: Here’s how it works Purchase a Hartford Workers’ Compensation policy through us and let them know that you’re interested in XactPAY Xpress. Register your XactPAY Xpress account online and receive email reminders when it’s time to enter your payroll information through carriers’s fast, easy and secure website. The Hartford will use the payroll information… Read More »Payroll billing – pay as you go – workers compensation insurance

San Francisco Health Fee to Rise

Employers with workers in San Francisco must pay more next year to comply with the city’s health care spending law. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2012, employers with 100 or more employees in San Francisco will be required to spend $2.20 per hour per covered employee on health care, up from $2.06 in 2011. Employers with 20 through 99 employees will have to spend at least $1.46 per hour, up from $1.37, city officials announced last week. Employers with fewer than 20 employees are exempt from the requirement, which uses the funds generated to provide medical services to the uninsured. Premiums,… Read More »San Francisco Health Fee to Rise