Workers' Compensation News

CHSWC is Honored with International Workers' Compensation Award

The award for CHSWC's study represented "the best workers' compensation agency research product using data and analysis to answer an important public policy question of national interest." The purpose of the study was to reduce costs, simplify the medical payment systems, and improve administrative efficiency in the California workers' compensation system. CHSWC received the award on September 5, 2003, as part of the IAIABC Conference held in San Francisco

The IAIABC is a not-for-profit trade association representing government agencies charged with the administration of workers' compensation systems throughout most of the United States, Canada, and other nations and territories. The WCRI, organized in 1983, is a not-for-profit research organization providing information about public policy issues involving workers' compensation systems.

CHSWC, created by the workers' compensation reform legislation of 1993, is charged with overseeing the health and safety and workers' compensation systems in California and with recommending administrative or legislative modifications to improve their operations. The Commission was established to conduct a continuing examination of the workers' compensation system and of the state's activities to prevent industrial injuries and occupational diseases and to examine those programs in other states.

Since its inception in 1994, CHSWC has held meetings, conducted fact-finding hearings, and directed several studies to determine how these crucial programs are serving California employees and employers. These studies, conducted by independent research organizations under contract with the Commission, as well as other CHSWC activities, were developed with the involvement of state agency personnel and interested members of the workers' compensation community. This cooperative public-private partnership continues to identify, describe, measure and propose solutions to problems and difficulties within the current health and safety and workers' compensation systems.

If you have suffered personal injuries or emotional distress due to the negligence of workers compensaton laws in Washington, contact our Workers Compensation lawyer now and obtain a free case evaluation.

	Did You Know?
	OSHA has developed final "Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence OSHA has developed final "Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care and Social Service Workers" and draft guidelines for night retail establishments. The intent of the guidelines is to educate employers on finding ways to provide a more secure work environment. Consequently, OSHA hopes that employers will voluntarily implement workplace violence protection programs. Workplace violence has emerged as an important safety issue in today's workplaces. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) fatality data, assaults and violent acts caused 20 percent of the fatal occupational injuries in the United States in 1994.