Rafael Casados was placed as general laborer for Port Elevator in Brownsville.  Mr. Casados worked for StaffForce, Inc. a temporary staffing agency.  Three days into his stint with Port Elevator he was killed while working in a grain elevator.  Both Port Elevator and StaffForce has workers compensation insurance.  Mr. Casados' position as a temporary worker is not unusual and is common place throughout Texas, especially in construction.  Read more

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Two posts on Texas Mutual's blog highlight recent verdicts obtained against business owners attempting to hide payroll.  In the first post, the owner of Mastercare Gardens was ordered to pay Texas Mutual $140,038 and a $1000 fine.  He will also have to serve 10 years of deferred adjudication and perform 300 hours of community service.  From 2006 to 2008, the owner concealed payroll through various family operated companies he controlled.    Read more

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Insurance Journal reports that the National Council of Compensation Insurance ("NCCI") is recommending rate increases in the Florida for the second year in a row.    Read more

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 This is an effort to be applauded:

An Oklahoma state representative says he's prepared to introduce legislation to further improve the state's workers' compensation system. Rep. Mark McCullough says the recent recommendations of the Task Force on Vocational Rehabilitation in Workers' Compensation will be introduced as legislation in the 2011 legislative session.

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Through a combination of better safe work practices, tort reform, and good ole' fashioned competition, we have seen workers' compensation rates in Texas fall more than 40% of the last 5 to 7 years.  We talked about some of these improvements in this Adams Advisor article on modifiers from a few years back.

Sometimes we can take these things for granted and assume everywhere is like Texas, a paradise on Earth.  Not so in Washington State.    Read more

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