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A Republican Indiana state representative has introduced a bill that would increase maximum fines for a workplace safety violation that results in death, to $100,000 from $7,000. Rep. Martin Carbaugh, R-Fort Wayne, introduced House Bill 1341 on the anniversary of the death of Shacarra Hogue, a 23-year-old factory worker who died after she was crushed by a press that the…

With some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation, Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws — much maligned by the insurance industry and business interests — are sure to be a target for legislative reforms. Insurance trade associations, including the Property Casualty Insurance Association of America (PCI), along with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, have said…

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has ordered an outside audit of a $100 million-per-year workers' compensation fund that was controlled by a longtime City County member accused of trying to shake down the owners of a major chain of fast-food franchises. The move marked the latest fallout from the case against Alderman Ed Burke, who was charged last week with attempted…

Injured workers in mining and construction, those in rural counties or those who suffer fractures, carpal tunnel and neurologic spine pain are among those more likely to receive prescriptions for opioids than workers in other industries or locations or with other injuries. Also, younger works are less likely to be prescribed opioids than older employees. A new study, Correlates of…

A state lawmaker on Monday afternoon filed legislation to revise Indiana’s workers’ compensation system and penalties for workplace safety violations for the first time in three decades. The legislation addresses key concerns raised by a recent ABC21 “Digging Deeper” series of reports. Rep. Martin Carbaugh (R-Fort Wayne) filed HB 1341. If passed and signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb, it would:…

In the span of less than a decade, the price paid by Illinois employers for workers’ compensation insurance dropped from third highest in the nation, as compared to other states, down to 22nd on the list. That steep decline in relative workers’ comp premiums tracked with the implementation of a 2011 state law passed at the urging of the state’s…

Doctors told Steve Dillman the throat cancer he was diagnosed with in 2008 came from smoking. He knew it didn't. "I thought it had to be job-related because I've never smoked a day in my life. I don't chew. I don't drink excessively ... and that's the three main criterias," he says. But Dillman did spend 38 years as an…

A Madison man is suing a freight car company, alleging retaliation and wrongful termination. Don L. Garrett filed a complaint Dec. 19 in Madison County Circuit Court against Amsted Rail Company Inc., alleging the defendant willfully and wantonly disregarded the plaintiff's rights. According to the complaint, on March 2, Garrett was terminated from his employment. The suit says Garrett has…

All 14 candidates for Chicago mayor agree that the embattled head of the city's workers' compensation program should step aside or that the program should be managed by a separate city agency. The Chicago Sun-Times asked the candidates if longtime Alderman Ed Burke, who as head of the City Council's Finance Committee oversees the comp program, should step down from that…