The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has honored Laminate Technologies Inc. in Waco, Texas, with the Lone Star Safety Award for exceptional dedication to protecting its employees through a strong and proactive safety program. This facility’s 13 employees manufacture high-quality laminated cabinets used across a variety of industries. DWC credited the company’s leadership and team members for maintaining a safe workplace that values injury prevention, open communication, and shared responsibility. The Lone Star Safety Program recognizes Texas employers that achieve exemplary workplace safety and health performance and serve as role models for others. To qualify, employers…
Author: Awais
The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit against a Valley Springs, South Dakota construction contractor for the wrongful termination of an employee who reported a severe work-related injury. An investigation by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found the employee received second- and third-degree burns from scalding water in a pressurized pipe. OSHA determined Stone Hill Excavation LLC, and its successor Split Rock Sand & Gravel, violated the whistleblower provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act by firing the worker two days after the injury was reported. The department’s suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for…
Employers are turning to Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements to cut costs, but rising premiums and instability on the individual market pose challenges.
Texas hemp industry leaders and advocacy groups have sued the state to block new regulations that eliminate natural smokeable hemp products and increase licensing fees. The Texas Hemp Business Council, Hemp Industry & Farmers of America, and several Texas-based dispensaries and manufacturers filed for a temporary restraining order against the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on Tuesday, alleging that the agencies have overstepped their constitutional authority by rewriting the statutory definitions of hemp established by lawmakers in 2019. “Under current Texas law, hemp is defined by its delta-9 THC concentration of…
The DOJ announced on April 7 that APSF agreed to plead guilty to one count of major fraud against the United States. Its then-parent, AssuredPartners Inc., agreed to pay $135 million to resolve civil allegations under the False Claims Act. APSF will pay $27.6 million in criminal restitution, bringing the total above $160 million.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is the first and only vaccination that helps protect individuals from getting several cancers that are associated with different HPV strains. The vaccine holds the promise to safely prevent many kinds of cancers attributable to HPV that have long been responsible for the deaths of women and men. Since its introduction to the U.S. in 2006, the vaccine covers more strains of HPV, the dosage has dropped from three to two shots and the cost is fully covered by private insurance and public programs. The vaccine was originally recommended only for girls and young women, but was subsequently broadened to include boys, young men, and…
Wireless Festival cancellation spotlights reputational risk in event insurance
Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google have each recently abandoned construction of multibillion-dollar data centers over community opposition and now the companies are coming under shareholder pressure over the environmental impact of their projects. More than a dozen investors are cranking up the heat on companies ahead of annual shareholder meetings this spring, seeking more data on the tech giants’ water usage and conservation efforts as they seek to expand their computing power, according to interviews with Reuters. Trillium Asset Management, a Boston-based firm with more than $4 billion in assets under management, filed a resolution with Alphabet in December seeking…
A U.S. judge on Tuesday rejected UBS’ bid to clarify a $1.25 billion settlement from 1999 of Holocaust-related litigation against Swiss banks by shielding it from claims based on new revelations about Nazi-linked accounts. U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in Brooklyn, New York, said UBS was seeking an advisory opinion protecting it from “hypothetical” lawsuits that have not been filed. “Until a genuine case or controversy arises that requires judicial interpretation of its terms, the agreement will continue to speak for itself,” wrote Korman, who oversaw the 1999 settlement. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights group, had argued…
The Trump administration is quietly seeking unprecedented access to medical records for millions of federal workers and retirees, and their families. A brief notice from the Office of Personnel Management could dramatically change which personally identifiable medical information the agency obtains, giving it the power to see prescriptions employees had filled or what treatment they sought from doctors. The regulation would require 65 insurance companies that cover more than 8 million Americans — including federal workers, retired members of Congress, mail carriers, and their immediate family members — to provide monthly reports to OPM with identifiable health data on their…
The Maine Bureau of Insurance reported that its employees’ work regulating insurance rates saved residents $5.8 million in potential increases for auto and homeowners coverage in 2025. The regulatory agency also said it recovered more than $4.5 million for Mainers and businesses through investigations into consumer complaints. “Every day, our staff helps Mainers navigate insurance questions and concerns,” said Superintendent Bob Carey. “We carefully review proposed rate increases to ensure they are justified, helping keep coverage fair and affordable for Maine people and businesses.” The Bureau of Insurance’s budget for fiscal year 2025 was $12,374,850. For personal auto insurance, the…
The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, potentially suspending a six-week-old war that has killed thousands, spread across the Middle East and caused unprecedented disruption to the world’s energy supplies. Trump announced the agreement late on Tuesday, just two hours before a deadline he had set for Iran to open the blockaded Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its “whole civilisation.” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had invited Iranian and U.S. delegations to meet in Islamabad on Friday. The deal is subject to Iran’s agreement to pause its blockade of…
Insurance broker Marsh Risk, the Marsh subsidiary, announced that its Cyber ECHO facility now provides Marsh clients with up to $200 million of cyber insurance. Marsh Risk describes Cyber ECHO as the largest cyber insurance facility of its kind in the insurance market, which is designed to mitigate clients’ most complex cyber and technology risk exposures. Uniquely, Cyber ECHO now offers all clients a free coverage reinstatement option and a paid second reinstatement option for separate cyber events, as well as bursaries for risk management services to clients with premiums above $1 million, according to Marsh Risk. Cyber ECHO’s unique…
Hapag-Lloyd voiced cautious optimism on Wednesday on the prospect of resuming shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after a two-week ceasefire agreed between the U.S. and Iran, but said that resuming normal traffic throughout its network would take at least six to eight weeks. Speaking in a call to customers, CEO Rolf Habben Jansen echoed guarded remarks by container shipping peer Maersk, saying that more security assurances were needed. “Even if a ceasefire has now been agreed overnight, I would say that it’s fair to say that the conflict in the Middle East is still severely disrupting shipping, but also…