Florida: Whistleblower site yielding significant results, comp officials say

A new Web site that allows Florida residents to submit referrals of alleged violations of workers' compensation rules has yielded significant results, according to state officials.

Alex Sink, Florida's chief financial officer, said the whistleblower site makes it easier for any citizen to submit a complaint online about suspected noncompliance with workers' comp rules and provides real-time feedback to complainants. The site also allows the state's Division of Workers' Compensation to input referrals and initiate investigations more rapidly, she said. Since the site was launched in June, the DWC has received 328 referrals, which have led to 36 stop-work orders and $526,000 in assessed penalties.

"Florida workers who are injured on the job can face devastating medical bills and serious financial hardship if their employers aren't properly covered, which is why we want to make it as easy as possible for whistleblowers to report possible violations of workers' comp rules," Sink said.

NIOSH: Promote work-family balance to reduce workplace injuries (10/29/12)
Proposed survey targets asthma among health care workers (07/26/12)
Report outlines effective strategies for successful self-insurance groups (06/18/12)
Louisiana signs on to put a stop to misclassification of employees (03/05/12)
Oklahoma governor signs comp reform legislation (06/16/11)

Read more at the WORKERSCOMP Forum^TM homepage.

August 21, 2009

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