A Nantucket business owner has pleaded guilty to charges that he failed to accurately report his total payroll and number of employees. He also misclassified his business to avoid paying thousands of dollars in insurance premiums. Attorney General Martha Coakley said “Premium avoidance is a serious crime that undermines the…
Progressive Gourmet Inc. was cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for repeated and serious safety violations at its Wilmington production facility. The wholesale manufacturer and distributor faces a total of $73,400 in fines after an inspection in response toemployees‘ complaints. OSHA found that the facility…
P. Gioioso & Sons Inc., a Hyde Park contractor has a long history of violating excavation safety standards. They have agreed to pay $200,000 for exposing its employees to cave-in hazards. The contractor has also agreed to renovate its safety practices to minimize trenching hazards and enhance worker safety. P.…
The cost for each workers’ compensation claim in Massachusetts fell six percent in 2010. Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) states this is the largest decrease among the sixteen states that it reviewed in its study. The decrease in total costs per claim reflects the state’s recovery from the Great Recession costs of 2009. Previously,…
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a Nashua, NH contractor for repeat and serious safety violations at a Massachusetts utility installation work site. Newport Construction faces $30,310 in proposed fines for trenching hazards at the site. OSHA standards require that trenches, or excavation, five feet or deeper…
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced a $1 million settlement with a workers’ compensation billing company that overcharged the state and a number of towns and cities for prescription drugs. StoneRiver Pharmacy Solutions Inc. is a billing form that charges cities and towns for prescription drugs on behalf of pharmacy retail stores.…
Many physicians who prescribe powerful painkillers, such as Oxycontin and Vicodin, for injured workers fail to follow the recommended treatment guidelines for monitoring their patients, which results in long-term drug use that may lead to addiction. The Workers Compensation Research Instituteconcluded that approximately one in twelve injured workers who are prescribed narcotics are…
Massachusetts’ workers’ compensation program and the Social Security Administration provide benefits for the survivors of deceased workers to help ease the financial burden that may remain after the death. These programs are trying to provide necessary benefits to families in their times of need. Also, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)…
One worker was killed and another seriously injuredwhen the roof of a building under construction fell on Carlton Avenue. The collapse caused both men, who worked as cement mixers, to fall three stories. A witness, who was on the roof at the time of the collapse, said the accident happened soon…
Late August, the Division of Insurance rejected a proposed increase to Massachusetts workers’ compensation rates by 18.8 percent. After a five month hearing process, the rates will remain unchanged, and businesses will not be forced to pay an estimated $200 million on projected premium increases. The Workers’ Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau…