January 3, 2026 What Do You Think? A carrier or employer may be able to issue a “back-up denial” of a claim it has already accepted if it turns out that it was misled by the claimant. A case involving a foreman who fell from a ladder at work, and from his son’s roof, on the same day – but only reported one of the falls – illustrates what it might take for a carrier or employer to revoke its acceptance of a claim. They say lightning rarely strikes twice. Falls, however, someti

December 30, 2025 Workers compensation has been one of the few lines of commercial insurance coverage where buyers haven’t been hit with significant increases over the past seven years, a trend set to continue in some states. In November, Florida Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky approved a 6.9% rate cut for policies incepting after Jan. 1, 2026. That followed a 1% decrease the state approved  last year. The story about the approval of the 2026 decrease was the second-most

December 29, 2025 Washington — OSHA issued seven  letters of interpretation  in 2025 to help “ensure the consistent and transparent application of federal workplace safety and health standards.” The first of the letters addresses  permit-required confined spaces . The others  cover situations including: Powered industrial truck training programs Software for OSHA  recordkeeping Engineering controls for benzene and 1,3 butadiene Stair angle and tread depth requirements “From c

December 23, 2025 A baking company's worker classification strategy backfired when a federal court saw through it Federal court shuts down employer strategy of forcing workers to form corporations as workaround to employment law protections.   In a decision handed down December 22, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that employers cannot dodge employment protections simply by requiring workers to create corporations and sign contracts throug

December 19, 2025 Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules require employers to report qualifying employee deaths or hospitalizations to OSHA, and to record such incidents on their OSHA 300 logs. Recently, we had a client with an employee who apparently suffered a non-work-related cardiac event at work and fell from a slightly elevated platform. The employee died at the accident scene, but the employer could not readily determine whether the death was a result of t

December 18, 2025 Resource helps employers identify safety gaps before serious incidents occur. WASHINGTON, D.C.  – The National Safety Council and NCCCO Foundation have launched a free tool to help employers eliminate serious incidents and fatalities (SIF). The  Organizational Safety Gap Analysis Tool  identifies weaknesses in safety systems before incidents occur. The need is clear. After decades of progress, U.S. workplace fatality rates have plateaued at more than 5,000 a