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Buccal Fentanyl is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for musculoskeletal injuries. Yet, a new study shows it's being prescribed for dozens of injured workers with minor back pain in California.

The Division of Workers' Compensation announces the surcharge on premiums will not change.

With the summer months approaching, two federal agencies are teaming up to educate employers and workers on the dangers of working in the heat.

The Division of Workers' Compensation issued an informational letter announcing a cost-of-living increase.

"Frequency is up, there's no doubt about it," said National Council on Compensation Insurance's chief actuary. "The good news for the last 20 years may have come to a halt."

A task force of the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions is offering its expertise to help modify error messages from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That's one of the suggestions the panel offered to help improve technical obstacles in reporting requirements.

Both OSHA and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health are 40 years old this year. NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard took the occasion of Workers Memorial Day on April 28 to focus on safety and health challenges facing the country as it recovers from the economic recession.

Workers' comp rates for Ohio employers may be reduced by 4 percent for the July 1 policy year. The Bureau of Workers' Compensation's board of directors will consider the proposal from Gov. John R. Kasich.

Workers performing rigging functions may be at risk of falls, electric shock, amputation, and being crushed by objects. To keep these workers safe, OSHA has issued a Safety and Health Injury Prevention Sheet.

A pharmacy benefit management company's use of clinical programs to push generic drugs and decrease utilization, along with an industry settlement involving the average wholesale price of medications helped drive down pharmacy spend in 2010, according to a new report. PMSI said the results represent a reversal of a three-year trend of increasing drug spend.

Shift work that rotates forward, faster, and has more days off after night shifts may help improve workers' health, suggests an award-winning study. The authors say the findings are especially significant for helping older workers remain safe and healthy.

It's called titanium dioxide, or TiO2. While authorities don't know how many workers are exposed to it, they are confident it causes adverse pulmonary responses in rats, including persistent pulmonary inflammation and lung tumors.

Montana employers are getting some good news. Workers' comp loss costs are being reduced by more than 22 percent.

A new guidance is aimed at helping employers comply with the new Fall Protection in Residential Construction standard. OSHA issued the guidance to explain safety methods employers can implement.

Unease about the workers' comp market continues, at least for the near term. That may change -- one way or the other -- depending on 2010 data from NCCI, to be released at its upcoming annual symposium later this month.

The workers' comp program that covers employees in the maritime industry has not been updated since 1984. But a Republican senator is trying yet again to modernize it.