Quote of the day
"We don't tolerate noncompliance with our core values."
Tom Lange, Smurfit-Stone spokesman, about allegations that company officials attempted to intimidate employees at the company's Salinas plant from filing workers' comp claims
Monterey Co. D.A. Fields Calls Arrests
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office says it is receiving phone calls from the public as it continues to probe allegations that officials of a Salinas container plant pressured employees not to file workers’ comp claims. Three individuals were arrested last week. By Daniel Lopez, Monterey Herald
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NCCI Requests Rate Cut for Maine Employers
The National Council on Compensation Insurance asks Maine insurance regulators for an average rate decrease of 2.2 percent for 2008, citing improved worksite safety statistics. If approved, the new rates are expected to reduce premiums in the insured market by about $5.5 million. By AP via Maine Today
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United Health Purchases Fiserv Health Units
United Health announces that it is acquiring most of Fiserv’s health-related businesses for $775 million in cash. Fiserv will retain its workers’ comp services organization. By Steve Goldstein, MarketWatch
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Aussie Docs ‘Just Handing Out’ Narcotic Painkillers, Says Expert
South Australian doctors over-prescribe potent pain medicines at levels far higher than doctors in other states, says an expert at a SafeWork SA workshop on workplace drug and alcohol use. Dr. Tony Thoo contends there are three to four times as many injured workers on morphine-based drugs in South Australia than anywhere else in the country. By Tory Shepherd, Adelaide Advertiser
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Safety Scales Chain of Command at Texas Army Depot
“Be safe today, be alive tomorrow.” Used in conjunction with an awards system, oversight, and multiple forms of reporting and communication techniques, injuries at the Red River Army Depot in Texas have declined and created a happier, healthier workforce. By Melissa Turley, Risk and Insurance
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