Industry Updates


January 2024 – Workers’ Compensation – Rules on First Aid Claims Reporting

THE CALIFORNIA Workers’ Compensation Uniform Statistical Reporting Plan requires that employers report small, medical-only first-aid claims to their insurance carrier.   Many employers fail to report these claims as they consider them too small since the worker doesn’t lose any time from work and they don’t have to go to a doctor. Under Rating Bureau …

January 2024 – Human Resources – Age Discrimination Cases Up; Set Strong Policies

THE EQUAL Employment Opportunity Commission continues seeing a steady flow of complaints for one of the more common forms of workplace bias — age discrimination.   The number of court filings the EEOC made under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) in fiscal year 2023 was more than double that of fiscal year 2022. …

October 2023 – Commercial Property Insurance – The Hidden Cost Driver behind Rate Hikes

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY owners throughout California are getting hit with significant insurance rate hikes and non-renewal notices as a confluence of factors reverberate through the market. The commercial property insurance industry is struggling with years of losses after paying out billions of dollars annually for increasingly costly and numerous wildfire claims in California and other natural …

October 2023 – Workers’ Compensation – Insurance Commissioner Orders Rate Reduction

CALIFORNIA INSURANCE Commissioner Ricardo Lara has issued an order that cut the average advisory workers’ compensation benchmark rate across all classes by 2.6%, starting Sept. 1. The benchmark rate, also known as the pure premium rate, is a baseline that covers just the cost of claims and claims adjusting, but not other overhead like rents, …

October 2023 – Transportation Hiring Alert – Always Check New Drivers’ Clearinghouse Record

FLEET OPERATORS face an increased risk of potential liability if they are not diligent about checking their drivers’ moving violation records with the state Department of Motor Vehicles, in addition to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. As of 2020, it became mandatory that all motor carriers sign up their drivers …

October 2023 – 50% Increase in Overtime Pay Threshold On Tap

THE U.S. Department of Labor has issued its long-awaited proposed changes to the nation’s overtime rules for American workers, proposing to increase the threshold for exempt status by more than 50% to just over $55,000. Under DOL rules, workers who are exempt from overtime rules — typically managers, executives, and certain administrators — must make …

July 2023 – Commercial Property Insurance – FAIR Plan More Than Doubles Coverage Limits

With more and more California businesses being forced to go to the California FAIR Plan for their coverage, the market of last resort has moved to increase its commercial property coverage limits significantly. This should bring a semblance of relief to companies located in wildfire-prone areas, who have seen their commercial property insurance non-renewed and …

July 2023 – Cal/OSHA Rule-Making – Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Standard on Tap

Cal OSHA has proposed its long-awaited indoor heat illness prevention standard as increasingly hot summers are affecting workers in indoor spaces like warehouses, production operations, restaurants and more. The proposed standard, largely based on the state agency’s outdoor regulations, will require employers whose workplaces at times are at least 82 degrees to have a written …

July 2023 – EEOC Guidance – New Rules for Using AI in Employment Decisions

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued new guidance on how employers can properly use software, algorithms and artificial intelligence-driven decision-making tools when screening job applicants and selecting candidates. The EEOC has grown concerned about possible adverse impacts of these technologies that can help employers with a wide range of employment matters, like hiring decisions, …