Cal/OSHA has proposed its long-awaited indoor heat illness prevention standard as increasingly hot summers are affecting workers in indoor spaces like warehouses, production operations, restaurants and more. The proposed standard, largely based on the state agency’s outdoor regulations, will require employers whose workplaces at times are at least 82 degrees to have a written Indoor…
The 2023 International Roadcheck is slated for May 16-18, a high-visibility, high-volume inspection and enforcement push by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. During this annual three-day event, CVSA-certified inspectors fan out across the United States, Canada and Mexico to inspect commercial vehicles and drivers at weigh and inspection stations, as well as designated inspection areas…
American workers are more stressed than ever coming out of the pandemic, and an increasing number of people are also struggling with mental health issues. Sadly, the number of people dying from drugs, alcohol and suicide hit record levels in 2022. When someone is battling addiction or has mental health issues, it affects all aspects…
In a sign of the long-lasting effects of reforms enacted a decade ago, California’s workers’ compensation rate-making agency will recommend that average benchmark rates increase a mere 0.3%. The recommendation by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, based on claims costs and frequency remaining low and slower cost inflation, would apply to policies incepting on…
Most health insurers plan to continue offering free preventative care services despite a federal judge having imposed a nationwide injunction on an Affordable Care Act requirement that these services are covered with no out-of-pocket costs on the part of patients, according to a letter by industry trade groups. With concern growing that this important part…
With more and more California businesses being forced to go to the California FAIR Plan for their coverage, the market of last resort has moved to increase its commercial property coverage limits significantly. This should bring a semblance of relief to companies located in wildfire-prone areas, who have seen their commercial property insurance non-renewed and…
A new report has found that small businesses that purchase their group health insurance online or through payroll vendors saw the largest premium hikes in 2022, significantly higher than those that went through brokers. Overall rates for employers with 10 or fewer employees saw their family plan health insurance premiums jump 12% from 2021, compared…
Material handling accidents account for thousands of injuries and a number of deaths each year on construction sites. They are one of the top injuries in the construction trade and can result in serious injuries and death depending on the material, the weight of the load, and the distance it falls. These injuries lead to…
Both employers and employees have much to gain from a solid voluntary benefits program. For employees, being able to enroll in an insurance product through a workplace voluntary benefits program offers them the advantage of group pricing, the convenience of paying through payroll deduction, and perhaps access to insurance that would be difficult to get…
QR codes — short for Quick Response codes — are everywhere these days, on the tables at restaurants, on posters, print and electronic advertising, and even during TV programming and commercials. By training your smartphone camera on one, you’ll get a prompt to click to open a web page, typically one for the company behind…