Workers’ Compensation Lawsuit Settlements Explained
On the night of February 26, 2014, a charter plane carrying a number of local government workers crashed on the Hawaiian Island of Lanai, killing three people and seriously injuring three more. All six were deemed workers; and as a result, workers’ compensation claims were opened, approved and benefits issued accordingly. On May 2, 2014, a third-party lawsuit was filed against the responsible airline, Maui Air, which remains in litigation. An article, published in The Maui News on March 19, 2016, quoted one crash survivor addressing the Maui County Council, asking them to allow the survivors and the families of the deceased to be awarded all of the settlement money from the lawsuit with the airline. By law, worker’s compensation is set up to be the first payor in the event of a work-related accident or injury, regardless of any other coverage or benefits that may be available to the […]
WCB Bill 6 Information for Farm Owners
On January 1, 2016, the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, or better known as Bill 6 came into effect in Alberta marking a change in workers’ compensation coverage for farm owners, and the people who work for them. The controversial bill brings Alberta in line with other provinces in Canada that already have legislation covering workers’ compensation, occupational health and safety regulations, employment standards and labour relation codes for farming and ranching industries. As much as Bill 6 represents a burden on farm and ranch owners to put new practices in place and comply with legislative standards and regulations, it provides much needed protection and compensation to non-family farm and ranch employees similar to what is extended to any other employee, and to what is in place in other provinces. It also protects farm and ranch owners from legal action being taken by an injured worker, the […]
Four Effects Daylight Savings Time can have on Health and Safety
“Lack of sleep, even an amount as small as 40 minutes, can affect workplace incidents following the spring time change.” Once again, much of the country will ‘spring forward’ into Daylight Savings Time this March. In the process we shift our daily schedules ahead, ostensibly losing an hour of valuable sleep. There are distinct benefits and risks to moving the clock forward and back during the year, and discussion continues as to whether the practice should continue or not. This 100 year old concept still remains a controversial solution to a debatable problem. The argument for changing the clocks, in spring and fall, is based on energy conservation and stimulating the retail and entertainment sectors of the economy by increasing the number of daylight hours following the traditional workday. However, there is documented fallout that could be detrimental to your health and safety. Four interesting effects of the time change on […]
How to Protect Yourself from Extreme Weather on the Job
It’s January and although the days may be getting longer, many of the brutally cold days of winter lie ahead. It is not just the plummeting temperatures that affect workers but wind and moisture can be contributing factors to the challenges faced when working in cold environments. It’s important to know how to protect yourself from extreme weather on the job. Wind Chill At any temperature, wind will make you feel colder. We refer to this effect as ‘wind chill’ which simply means refers to what the air ‘feels like’ as opposed to what the actual temperature is. The wind chill or ‘feel like’ temperature can be used as a guideline for appropriate dress for going outside and how long to stay exposed. Humidity Moisture or humidity also plays a role even though Alberta dry or arid climate. Water conducts heat away from the body 25 times faster than dry […]
Does the Number of WCB Claims Filed Affect Overall WCB Premiums?
With the first half of January almost complete, it hopefully went injury and accident free. It’s a new year, a new beginning, and a fresh start for your workplace safety record. Whether your accident/injury/claim record was excellent, good, fair, poor, or non-existent last year, ensuring that you minimize, reduce, and/or eliminate WCB claims in the current year can have a positive impact on your WCB premiums in years to come. How are premiums determined? To fully appreciate how WCB claims influence premiums, one must understand how WCB premiums are determined. The premiums employers pay fund workers’ compensation insurance, essentially the amount collected, when invested, should be enough to cover all current and future costs of all claims incurred in the same year. The amount of premiums to be collected is determined by an annual estimate of insurable earnings and claims costs of a given year; therefore premiums collected in 2016 […]