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Washington’s workers’ comp rates will increase 2.7 percent in 2014

The Department of Labor and Industries announced that businesses in Washington State will pay 2.7% more for workers’ compensation insurance in 2014. L&I said 2.7% is an average for all businesses and some will pay more or less than this, depending on their safety record and other factors. This modest increase in rates is part of a long-term plan to ensure steady and predictable rates by benchmarking against wage inflation,” said L&I Director Joel Sacks. “It will also help to gradually rebuild the workers’ comp reserves.

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OSHA GHS December 1st Deadline Quickly Approaching

The first phase of the Global Harmonized System (GHS) standards takes effect on December 1, 2013. This is an entire revision of the Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) regarding chemical safety in the workplace.

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Private Exchanges: Why Employers Need to Take a Look

The federal and state exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act are open for business. The U.S. healthcare system has taken a significant, transformative step in the way Americans purchase health insurance.

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Pain Points for WA’s Proposed Workers Comp Rate Increase in 2014

News about the rapid recovery from the recession is filling the airwaves, but some Washington businesses are not celebrating. Businesses are still gauging the effects of wage hikes, mandatory sick leave, and Obamacare.

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Employee Benefits Captives – A Self-Insurance Alternative for 51 to 500 Employees

 In the not too distant past, only companies with thousands of employees and lots of liquidity could afford to self insure their employee benefits. Small to medium sized employers are in a difficult situation because they have few options and very little information on the healthcare system. They don’t know what claims they have or what their premium dollars go towards.
 

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Protect Cargo from Origin to Final Destination

An engineering firm needed semi-permanent employee housing for a long-term project in a remote part of Alaska, known for extreme weather conditions. They hired a general contractor (GC) to do the job who was familiar with the working environment in rural Alaska.

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Before You Begin Negotiations with a Doctor Recruit, Read This

Thousands of private practitioners are selling or dismantling their practices and taking jobs in hospitals. The reasons why doctors discontinue their private practices vary. Some doctors cite the volume of work involved in running a business, as compared to the return on investment. Others say that medical malpractice insurance, administrative costs and increasing regulatory requirements make private practice too expensive to maintain.

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Enterprise Risk Assessment: The Hunt for the Black Swan

Are we safe? This is one of life’s more vexing conundrums. In his landmark book, The Black Swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb describes a type of event called a “Black Swan.” These events appear to be a complete surprise, but in hindsight can be rationalized as being inevitable. 

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New Alaska Workers’ Compensation First Report of Injury Forms Will be Required Starting 7/22/2013

As of July 11, 2013, the State of Alaska published new Employer and Employee Report of Occupational Injury or Illness forms for workers’ compensation claims. The State confirmed on July 15, that these new forms must be used starting July 22, 2013 and replace the existing Report of Occupational Injury or Illness (Form 07-6101 Rev 08-2012).

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Handling Employee Benefits During a Merger

There are a number of financial, legal, and morale based considerations that need to be understood before making or accepting a final offer. The good news is that you don’t have to be the expert in these matters you just need to call in the people who are.  

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Engaged Employees: What are Other Companies Doing?

Have you seen the latest Gallup poll on employee engagement? The overall statistic in their findings is staggering – 70% of US workers are actively disengaged in their jobs. This means that employees may be showing up for work but aren’t feeling compelled to give 100% to their employers because they don’t feel their employers are giving 100% to them.

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What Can We Do About Spousal Benefits Costing 40% More?

Internal audits of benefits policies show spousal (or domestic partner) coverage costs employers up to 40% more than coverage for the employee.

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