The government shutdown is entering its 10 day and there are major concerns surfacing about the lack
of safety enforcement in the workplace. OSHA has closed down its workplace inspection program and now the implementation of new safety programs OSHA planned to initiate will be delayed.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Fashion Safety: The Tragedy Continues
Fashion Safety continues be be a major problem in Bangladesh. One a catalyst for increased regulation, the movement continues lack sufficient traction to make a difference. Today post is shared from retail-week.com.
Nine people have died following a fire in a Bangladesh factory renewing concerns about the safety of the country’s garment industry that supplies many of the world’s biggest retailers.
The fire broke out at the Aswad factory in Gazipur outside of Dhaka yesterday. The factory has supplied goods to Canadian retailers Loblaw, which owns Joe Fresh, according to shipping data provider ImportGenius.com. The Wall Street Journal reported Aswad had also produced clothes for Wal-Mart.
The deaths come after the devastating collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex in Dhaka in April which killed more than 1,100 people.
The disaster led to an industry-wide move to improve safety in the country. Retailers includingPrimark, H&M, River Island and Arcadia have signed up to the Bangladesh factory safety Accord led by union IndustriALL.
By signing the Accord, retailers agreed to a legally binding pledge to contribute up to $500,000 (£325,000) a year towards rigorous independent factory inspections and the installation of fire safety measures.
Yesterday Primark, which was one of many western retailers which used a factory situated within Rana Plaza, committed to paying six months wages as compensation.
A Primark spokesman said: “Primark takes its responsibilities extremely seriously. To help alleviate short-term hardship, the company is committed to paying six months wages to more than 3,500 Rana Plaza workers, or their families, irrespective of whether they made...
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Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Government Shutdown: Day 9 - Government shutdown hitting veterans, military families hard
Workers' Compensation systems are generally integrated with Federal benefit systems, either/or for medical treatment or indemnity payments. Military disabilities are usually considered pre-existing disabilities in calculation of award estimates. Without a fully functioning VA benefit system, veterans are unable to obtain the complete benefits that they are entitled to received. Today's post is shared from cbs.org.
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The government shutdown, now in its ninth day, has impacted government services and the Americans who rely on them to varying degrees. This week, members of Congress are wincing at the toll their dysfunction is taking on services for veterans and military families.
If the shutdown doesn't end soon, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department won't be able to ensure that checks go out on Nov. 1 for 5.18 million beneficiaries, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki told House Veterans' Affairs Committee. That amounts to $6.25 billion in payments that VA beneficiaries are expecting. Already the VA has furloughed more than 7,800 employees, Shinseki, half of whom are veterans. While the VA has in the last six months made progress on reducing its disability claims backlog, the shutdown has reversed that progress, with the number of backlogged claims increasing by 2,000 since Oct. 1. "We've lost ground we fought hard to take," said Shinseki, who at multiple points in his testimony to Congress used military analogies to explain the challenges his department is facing. The Republican-led House last week passed a bill to exempt the VA from the shutdown, but the Democratic-led Senate has rejected the House's piecemeal approach to restoring federal funding. Additionally, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., noted in Wednesday's hearing that the House back in June approved a VA funding bill. Shinseki, however, noted that restoring funding for just the VA won't necessarily help clear... |
Government Shutdown: Day 8 - Injured Workers Are Being Held for Ransom
Now entering its 8th day, the Federal Government shutdown continues and injured workers and their families are suffering as hostages.
The Federal programs that adjudicate injured workers claims are closed. The State programs are beginning to feel the impact of the that lack of information flow from the collateral medical lien resolution process so resolution of claims are now stalled.
New Federal programs enacted under The SMART Act, to expedite the lien resolution programs have been halted in the public comment phases, and may face further delay in implementation and regulatory amendment.
The funding process for NIH grants to prevent and treat occupational disease and illnesses, as well as data collection and reporting, have been slowed if not stopped in their tracks.
While polls released today blame the GOP for the problem, no resolution is in sight. In fact the Federal debt ceiling argument may just put the US over the fiscal cliff, train-wrecking the economy, and fragile trending improvements in the US economy, including the job market and workers' compensation premium flow so essential to maintain financial liquidity.
It is a tragedy that American workers, and the century old workers' compensation system, are being held hostage in this political battle. Immediate action is necessary before the system implodes and can't be put back together again.
The Federal programs that adjudicate injured workers claims are closed. The State programs are beginning to feel the impact of the that lack of information flow from the collateral medical lien resolution process so resolution of claims are now stalled.
New Federal programs enacted under The SMART Act, to expedite the lien resolution programs have been halted in the public comment phases, and may face further delay in implementation and regulatory amendment.
The funding process for NIH grants to prevent and treat occupational disease and illnesses, as well as data collection and reporting, have been slowed if not stopped in their tracks.
While polls released today blame the GOP for the problem, no resolution is in sight. In fact the Federal debt ceiling argument may just put the US over the fiscal cliff, train-wrecking the economy, and fragile trending improvements in the US economy, including the job market and workers' compensation premium flow so essential to maintain financial liquidity.
It is a tragedy that American workers, and the century old workers' compensation system, are being held hostage in this political battle. Immediate action is necessary before the system implodes and can't be put back together again.
Today's Nobel Prize Winner Had His Research Funding Cut By The NIH
Protecting workers from disease is crucial. Medical monitoring and medical research are crucial factors to saving lives and lowering costs. This morning, James Rothman, Randy Schekman, and Thomas Sudhof got phone calls from Geneva. They learned that their basic research into how cells work gained them the recognition from the Nobel Committee for the 2013 Nobel Prize In Medicine Or Physiology.
Their prize is the example of how basic research into the nature of the world around us is can be incredibly important in treating disease. These tiny actions of a normally functioning cell seem irrelevant to the larger world, but that all changes when things go wrong. Südhof told the Lancet in 2010 that this basic science, is not a "field, but an approach: 'solid descriptive science,' like neuroanatomy or biochemistry, disciplines that cannot claim to immediately understand functions or provide cures, but which form the basis for everything we do." Sadly in the budget fights and government show down, federal funding for these basic research projects are being defunded and cut. This has even recently impacted one of today's winners: Rothman lost his NIH funding for the research he won the award for.He told the AP that he hopes that the Nobel Prize will mean his grants will get funded in the future if he re-applies. Award winning research All spent decades unraveling different parts of the cellular transport system. We might sometimes see cells as we did in middle school, as a dish shaped blob with a center nucleus as the command center and multiple other static organs. But that's not really the case. Our... |
Family Makes the Difference
Mom and Dad are late in their years. Mom is 89 and has moderate dementia. Dad just turned 91 and was in excellent physical health despite a history of heart disease and bypass surgeries.
"Was" is the critical verb in the prior sentence. Dad is the decision maker, always has been. A retired dentist who had a successful practice, he is a leader and is used to being in charge. Also a faithful husband and family man, Dad made a personal commitment to himself years ago to take care of his wife to the end. He will also admit that he is the world's worst planner ... except for when it came to vacations. He didn't count on disability. Having elderly parents, seeing their travails on a weekly basis (my commitment to them was to visit at least once a week), and watching them sunset physically and mentally, provides some awareness of the disabled state. Dementia is a terrible disease. It progresses gradually, taking elements of memory away from daily functioning in a cruel manner. At Mom's stage, she forgets sometimes just how to walk, so she falls and then can't get back up. Dad thought he could deal with this. He thought wrong. Dad has sciatica and pain radiates down his leg. This started a few months ago. A shot of cortisone every once in a while alleviates the symptoms and he goes about his days with good energy and strength. But when he has to wait because of dosing issues, or just access issues, he can't move much without a walker. This past week was a seminal week in my father's... |
NJ Police Officer Indicted for Misclassification and Workers' Compensation Fraud
Today's post was shared from www.trentonian.com
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A Trenton police officer and his father were indicted last week on charges of false swearing and workers compensation fraud.
Trenton Police officer Gaetano Ponticiello, 42, and his father Filippo Ponticiello, 65, were indicted last week by a Mercer County grand jury on fourth-degree charges of false swearing and workers compensation fraud. Each offense carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison and a $10,000 fine. According to prosecutors in the case, on Feb. 23, 2009, both Gaetano and Filippo made false statements under oath regarding workers compensation claims. Prosecutors say the false or misleading statements included a misclassification of employees for the purpose of evading the full payment of benefits or premiums. Both father and son are scheduled to appear in Mercer County Superior Court Oct. 25. Gaetano Ponticiello has been with the Trenton Police Department for at least 15 years. Lt. James Slack of the Trenton Police Department internal affairs told The Trentonian in July that Ponticiello has been suspended without pay. |
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