It seems that, as a society, there is always something to worry about. Even when good news breaks through the din of negativity we still seem to find elements of concern to worry about.

The monthly count of COVID-19 job injury claims reported to the California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) soared to a record 32,549 cases in December, bringing the total number of COVID-19 claims for accident year (AY) 2020 to 103,712, or more than one out of every six workers’ comp claims with a 2020 injury date according to a new analysis by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI).

About $55.4 million was paid out in Florida for more than 29,000 COVID-19 medical and indemnity claims in 2020, according to a report released Tuesday by the Florida Division of Workers Compensation.

Each year, I provide the absence and disability management trends I see shaping the workplace for the coming year.

For workers’ comp, lower back pain is a common workers’ injury. It can occur among industrial workers who are lifting heavy workers and office workers who may not have the ergonomic resources they need.

In the state of Ohio, a light-duty job offer is a strategic way to either bring an injured worker back to the workforce or bar temporary total compensation, should the injured worker reject a valid offer. Either way, it can aid employers in eliminating, minimizing, and/or stopping temporary total disability compensation from being paid in a claim.

The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has begun in health care and senior living facilities across the U.S., and employers in many industries are eagerly awaiting the chance to have their employees vaccinated against the coronavirus. However, employers must balance their desire for a safe workplace with the risks of requiring vaccinations and the potential workers compensation implications if a worker experiences serious side effects, experts say.

An air-powered, inflatable costume, worn by a staff member on Christmas to spread holiday cheer, may be to blame for a coronavirus outbreak that infected dozens of workers in a hospital in San Jose, Calif., a hospital spokeswoman said.

Only one type of healthcare professional is part of every conversation patients have while receiving care. It’s not a nurse, not a case manager, certainly not a doctor … Need a hint? It’s someone who acts as the voice for all of the above, as well as for the patient — the interpreter. For patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), the entirety of their care is mediated through the voices of interpreters.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been with us for over 9 months now, with no end in sight. As more time passes, the impact on workers compensation is becoming more evident. However, we are still in the early stages of developing claims, and it will be some time before we have clarity on the full impact.

An explosion in a high-rise building in Baltimore injured 23 people Wednesday and temporarily trapped a window washing crew on dangling scaffolding.

One person has been hospitalized and three people remain unaccounted for after a building collapse in Adams County on Wednesday, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

A large explosion at a West Virginia chemical plant flung debris more than a mile away late on Tuesday night, injuring at least four people and forcing a nearby highway and some schools closed, officials said.

A lawsuit has been filed by the family of a Publix deli worker alleging he died of COVID because the Florida based company prohibited employees from wearing masks during the early days of the pandemic.

Congress enacted the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) to provide workers’ compensation to specified employees of private maritime employers.