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The Workers' Compensation Board adopted regulations to implement new health provider fee schedules.

The Division of Workers' Compensation adopted new regulations updating the workers' compensation information system.

High injury and illness rates among maritime workers has prompted Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis to reestablish the charter of OSHA's Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health. OSHA announced the decision in early January.

The Division of Workers' Compensation informally proposed rules to request input regarding reporting requirements for information and data to be submitted concerning medical charges and payments.

A worker is injured on the job. He goes home, visits his doctor who prescribes various medications, then goes to his local pharmacy to get the script filled. He stays home watching television, gets increasingly bored, isolated, and frustrated as his pain increases. Ultimately, he contacts one of the attorneys he's seen on TV and sues your company.

If you're considering smoking cessation plans for your employees, the latest report from the surgeon general may be worth a read. It includes further evidence that smoking, including secondhand smoke, leads to a variety of health problems.

The health implications of working with nanomaterials are unknown. Yet nanotechnology is becoming more widely used, causing concern among occupational health experts.

Alaska and Connecticut

A newly opened research facility in South Carolina may ultimately help prevent injuries during natural disasters. While the initial focus of the Institute for Business & Home Safety's multi-risk building science research center is on improved building design and construction, there are ramifications for workers' comp.

Hawaii and Minnesota

Just as OSHA is trying to ramp up its noise standard enforcement comes a study showing a link between workplace noise and heart disease.

More than two-thirds of jurisdictions studied have combined ratios above 100 percent. That's not surprising given what's been happening in the workers' comp system, according to an actuary from the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

Allegations of underreporting workers' comp premiums to the tune of more than $2 billion against American International Group have ended with a settlement. The terms of the agreement allow all 51 insurance jurisdictions to share in the fines, taxes, and assessments against the insurance giant.

A bill to fund health care for emergency responders to the 9/11 terrorist attacks was approved by Congress and sent to President Obama, who is expected to sign it. House passage of H.R. 847, the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was the last action of the 111th Congress.

Looking for an inexpensive, green way to promote healthier lifestyles among your employees? Get them to ride bicycles to and from work, lunch, and meetings.

An estimated 20 deaths and 3,700 injuries requiring days away from work are attributed to fall hazards. OSHA is seeking public comment on a revised rule to prevent them.