What would it mean for workers' compensation and workplace safety if, as threatened, Washington's state government shuts down July 1 over the failure of the Legislature to adopt a state operation budget?
On Tuesday of this week, the Washington Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Street v. Weyerhaeuser, the self-insured employer's appeal from an adverse decision of the Court of Appeals last fall.
Particularly in states like California and Washington, where worker advocates wield comparatively strong political clout, we may expect to see a trend of state-level safety regulation tick upward in the absence of comparable federal activity.
A legislative phenomenon sweeping across the country right now involves states considering adopting, or strengthening, laws presuming that certain conditions when experienced by first responders are occupational diseases, to be covered under workers’ compensation.
An audiogram is the basic diagnostic test for hearing loss. What information is contained in the audiogram and how is it used?
With the critical need for education funding, we must expand our state's economy to meet our constitutional obligations, and I very much see this bill as part of the McCleary solution. - Senator Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane
"At the same time, to the extent legislative budget writers feel constrained to raise taxes on business to fund education or other priorities of government, there will be a search for a countervailing area where tax or regulatory costs on employers can be reduced. And in that regard, Washington's workers' compensation system is always top of mind."
Workers' comp can be a staid topic, but not necessarily on Tuesday as several testy exchanges broke out between Senators and participants.
