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A plan to reform the workers' comp system will either protect workers and employers or cause large groups of injured workers to lose compensation, depending on who is talking. California regulators and attorneys for injured workers are squarely on opposite sides of the plan.

Workers' comp providers seeking more information on evidence-based opioid treatments will get some help thanks to an improved online tool.

Employers looking to cut their workers' comp costs may want to offer or expand their paid sick leave benefits. New research indicates workers who took paid time off when they were sick performed better and had fewer workplace injuries.

Better accommodations and safety programs are called for after the release of a study on injuries to workers with disabilities.

Workplace programs aimed at decreasing hypertension could go a long way in improving employees' overall health, suggests a new study. Workers with high stress levels may be especially prone to hypertension resulting from repeated high levels of blood pressure.

"Workers' compensation underlying costs have continued to deteriorate since our last pure premium rate filing, submitted April 12, 2012." With that, the California Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau summarized its rate filing for January 2013.

The Division of Workers' Compensation issued a bulletin setting the assessment rate for the special disability trust fund and the workers' compensation administration trust fund.

ORLANDO -- Concerns about the aging of the workforce may all be for naught, suggest two workers' comp experts. Comorbidities will likely result in more baby boomers leaving the workforce sooner than previously thought.

"Duration for claims with prescribed opioid pain medication is clearly higher than for claims without opioids prescribed," says a new NCCI study. While acknowledging opioids do not necessarily cause longer durations, the researchers say it may be an area that warrants further research.

Brooms should not be used to clean up broken fluorescent light bulbs because they can spread any mercury that has been released. Likewise, vacuums should not be used unless they are specially designed to collect mercury.

Rates of medical-only claims declined slightly while lost-time claim frequency edged up among California's private self-insured employers last year. The result was a drop in overall claim frequency of just over 2 percent.

All-terrain vehicles are increasingly being used in workplaces. While they can be a valuable asset, they also present risks to workers driving or working around them.

The Department of Labor and Industries issued a preproposal statement of inquiry regarding rules establishing a medical provider network to treat injured workers of employers insured with the department and of self-insured employers.

Insurance claims fraud is exploding, according to a new report. The rate of questionable claims for the first time increased by 19 percent from 2009 to 2011 with workers' comp one of the largest fraud areas.

Medications dispensed by physicians often cost 60 to 300 percent more than the same drug purchased at a retail pharmacy, says a new study.