| State | Number of claims | Claims paid (estimated) |
| 1. California | 527 | $20.3 million |
| 2. Illinois | 309 | $10.0 million |
| 3. Texas | 219 | $5.1 million |
| 4. Ohio | 215 | $5.4 million |
| 5. Pennsylvania | 197 | $4.9 million |
| 6. Michigan | 181 | $7.0 million |
| 7. Florida | 157 | $5.1 million |
| 8. Indiana | 139 | $3.5 million |
| 9. New York | 133 | $6.1 million |
| 10. Minnesota | 117 | $3.5 million |
When working outdoors in hot weather, workers who do not take precautions can suffer from heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Heat exhaustion is caused by prolonged exposure to high temperatures and Inadequate fluid replacement. Heat stroke is the most severe of heat-related problems. It is potentially life threatening because the body’s normal mechanisms for dealing with heat stress, such as sweating and temperature control are lost. The following are the symptoms of these diseases and the steps needed to help the victim.
The first signs of heat exhaustion are dizziness, weakness, headache, blurred vision, nausea, and staggering. The face becomes pale, there is profuse sweating, weak pulse, and respiration is low. The victim can become unconscious.
When someone shows symptoms of heat exhaustion, immediately transfer that person out of the sun to a darker location or air conditioning. Have the person lie down and keep calm. If victim is conscious, have him drink cool drinks of water or a sports drink (which will replace lost salts) and have the victim drink frequent, small sips. Do not give any beverages containing alcohol or caffeine. Monitor the victim closely. Heat exhaustion can quickly become heatstroke. If symptoms persist and heat exhaustion occurs, call the doctor.
Keep fit and take frequent breaks. Stop to rest when you start feeling weak. Increase dietary salt and fluids when working in extremely hot weather. Avoid beverages containing alcohol or caffeine. Use hats and wear light colored clothing.
The victim develops a severe headache, face is red, the skin is hot and dry, no sweating, and the pulse is strong and very fast. The person has a high fever (105 -106 ° F) and may become unconscious. Following the fever, there may be confusion, convulsions, coma and even death.
Call 911 immediately, getting the victim professional medical treatment as soon as possible. Meanwhile, place the individual in a room with air conditioning or move to shade. Loosen clothing and cool the victim with the best means available. Follow emergency services directions.
The creation of new public faculties across Florida has contributed to a significant increase in the number of storm shelter spaces, according to a plan approved this. The Division of Emergency Management presented its updated statewide crisis plan to the cabinet at a meeting held at a Florida Keys elementary school. A combination of hurricane shelter surveys, retrofitting existing schools and building new schools to meet shelter design criteria has created more than 939,000 public shelter spaces over the last 12 years, emergency management officials said. More than half of those spaces were created through the construction of new public schools. Statewide, 37 counties now have a surplus of shelter spaces for the general population and people with special needs, officials said. Those counties include Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, Palm Beach, Brevard and Orange counties, along with counties in Florida’s Panhandle. Southwestern Florida continues to have a lack of shelter spaces due to its exposure to storm surge.
Progressive Insurance has introduced a new coverage for boaters that offers more complete protection of their propulsion systems. The coverage is called Propulsion Plus, and it pays to repair or replace the lower unit of an outboard motor, or the outdrive of a stern drive motor, in the event of mechanical breakdown. The coverage is available for boats up to 10-years-old, and can be kept until the boat turns 21-years-old.
“Propulsion Plus was created in response to customers asking for expanded coverage for their propulsion units. Both customer surveys as well as our internal data showed that these types of breakdowns were not at all unusual,” said Rick Stern, boat product manager at Progressive.
Propulsion Plus is available as an optional coverage for as low as $38 per year.
Under the 2006 law, employers with 100 or more employees are required to spend $2.20 per hour per covered employee on health care, while employers with between 20 and 99 employees must spend $1.46 per hour. Employers with fewer than 20 employees are exempt.
Elements of the controversial spending law had been feverishly debated among city legislators until late last year, when the city’s Board of Supervisors approved a measure requiring money contributed to health reimbursement arrangements to be made available to active employees up to 24 months after the contribution.
Most employers, though, meet the spending requirement by paying group health insurance premiums. The November 2011 change to the law was a reaction to a Labor Standards Enforcement report that indicated only 20% of the $62 million employers contributed to HRAs actually found its way to employees.
Florida’s governor has signed workers’ compensation legislation streamlining the workers’ compensation certificate process, eliminating mandatory premium audits, and discontinuing refunds for insurers with excess profits.
Gov. Rick Scott signed into law HB 941, sponsored by Rep. Doug Holder, which made a number of noncontroversial changes including making the certificate of exemption process easier and clarifying the definition of a corporate officer. For the first time, business owners and officers will be able to file for an exemption electronically.
The new law clarifies that “corporate officers” include members of limited liability companies that own at least a 10 percent stake in the company. The LLC members would be considered employees, but may choose to be exempt from the workers’ compensation law. Starting next January 1, all exemptions will be valid for two years.
Workers’ compensation insurers will no longer be subject to the state’s excess profit law, which had required them to refund money to policyholders if their underwriting gains were greater than their anticipated profit by more than five percent over the three preceding calendar years. State regulators reported that workers’ comp insurers paid out only about $200 million in excess profits since 2003, which is less than one percent of the state’s total premium base.
Premium audits will now only apply to workers’ compensation insurers with more than $200 million in surplus. Audits may be required by policyholders and state regulators, but may no longer be required as part of a policy.
Workers’ compensation companies and other companies writing commercial lines of business can now also transfer policies to a different Florida-licensed subsidiary. The transfers would be considered a policy renewal. Currently, to conduct such a transfer, the policy must be nonrenewed and then rewritten by the other company. The provision does not apply to residential property insurers.
The new law changes take effect July 1.
A woman suing Southwest Airlines Co. over its policy regarding overweight passengers says she’s not interested in the airline’s money.
Back in spring of 2011, miss T. allegedly was told that she would have to buy a second seat to board a SW flight, according to her website.
T. alleges she was “humiliated and harassed” by a gate agent who asked for her weight and clothing size before determining that she was too big for a single seat.
In her blog T. said she offered to demonstrate that she could fit in a single seat, but reportedly was denied the opportunity.
In her lawsuit, T. accused the company of discriminatory actions toward overweight customers. In lieu of damages, her suit seeks to force SW to clarify its “customer of size” policy, which T. argues is too prone to interpretation by airline employees.
Texas officials say that illegal moving companies are operating statewide, putting consumers at risk for losing their belongings or paying a ransom for getting them back.
To operate legally, a moving company must display a valid TxDMV or United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) license number on the truck.
Movers should never be hired from free Internet advertising sites. In March, the Houston Police Department arrested two men suspected of using hostage tactics in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Austin. The pair ran an unlicensed moving operation that promised cheap moves, but held customers’ household goods hostage, demanding hundreds of dollars in additional money before they would unload the truck. If a customer refused to pay, the truck drove off.
In the past police departments felt hamstrung and unable to help victims of moving scams because of the lack of accountability in the law. Unlicensed movers would show a contract riddled with hidden fees but signed by the customer. Under a new state law, unlicensed movers can receive up to a $4,000 fine and a year in jail for operating illegally in the state.
Trevino encouraged police departments throughout the state to use the law, and to also consider using their cyber-crimes units to pro-actively find illegal movers.
TxDMV is working to educate police and sheriff’s departments on the new law, and is stepping up its efforts to inform Texans how to avoid hiring an illegal operator with its “Don’t Make a Move Without Us!” consumer awareness program.
Source: Texas Department of Motor Vehicles
CALIFORNIA
- Lessors Risk Package- Apartments and mercantile, Total premium $15,522.45
- Vacant building- squeaked under the x renewal price. $9,000
- Apartment with law and ordinance – $9,240
- Home health care – $3,000
- Large Electrical Contractor – $51,000
FLORIDA, GULF COAST & TEXAS
- Supermarket – Hialeah, FL, multiple losses $40k package
- Paving Contractor, FL – GL/ XS/IM $60,000
- FL – Excess Cargo – air freight carrier for gold and silver shipments – $38,000
- FL Panhandle- Wind Only – $19,000
- FL – Banquet Hall GL/LL – $19,000
- FL – Schedule of Vacant Properties – Property Ex Wind – $71,000
- FL – Property w/Wind – ICAT – Office $11,500
- TX – $14 Million Condo Association in Dallas for $44,600 in Premium
- FL – Large College Bar in Tallahassee – $51,000 – all liquor sales and open until 2am
- FL – Large security firm – unarmed guards – $75,000
- TX – $15,988.28 Premium – Harris County LRO Package Strip Center w/ restaurant
- TX – Indoor bazaar/ dance hall exposure in Dallas – $16,229
- TX – Hotel located out in Houston, Harris County – $22,000
- TX – Houston – Flooring Company that installs tile, marble and other flooring – $11,264
- LA – Convenience Stores – Nice quote with claims – $37,800
OREGON/WASHINGTON
- OR- Medical Professional for Mobile Drug and Alcohol Testing Service – $2 Mil/$4 Mil Limits – $11,000 Premium
- OR – Miscellaneous Professional for a Court Appointed Receiver/Liquidating Agent – $1 Mil Limits – $5,000 Premium
- Manufactures and sells tempur-pedic saddle pads, saddle blankets, and girth belts $1/2/2M limits, $500 deductible – $625 pure premium
- Designer and distributor of plush toys with more than $5M in sales, $2/3/3M limits, $500 deductible, Blanket Vendor AI – $8,527 pure premium
One of the biggest stories in Toms River, N.J., in recent weeks involved an alleged haunted house in the neighborhood. According to local reports, M. and her fiance J. had moved into a home in Toms River in March and soon began to experience a range of paranormal activities.
As a news report from ABC News shows, the distressed couple allegedly endured living room lights that turn on by themselves, a vase that falls over when no one is watching, a feeling of being tapped on the shoulder when no one is around, and a raspy voice that whispers, “Let it burn.”
The couple have since moved out and sued the landlord, claiming they could no longer endure the ghostly activities in the house and want to recoup the deposit. The landlord, in turn, counter-sued the couple, saying the lawsuit will frighten away new tenants or buyers and hurt the house’s value.
In homeowners’ or renters’ insurance coverage, a lot would depend on who or what causes the damage.
“There is nothing in an insurance contract that specifies an ‘exclusion’ or ‘inclusion’ from paranormal activity,” Loretta Worters, vice president of Insurance Information Institute in New York. She noted that if there is a fire and the person’s property is damaged, and if the renters had bought renter’s insurance, then there would be coverage.
But if a fire is found to be arson and if the renters are found to be responsible, then they wouldn’t have coverage, as arson is a criminal act, according to the I.I.I. If the homeowner carries homeowners insurance, there would be coverage in case of fire, unless of course it is proven as arson and the homeowner is the one found to be the perpetrator. When it comes to breakage, the insureds may be out of luck regardless of whether the damage is caused by a living person or a ghost. If there was, say, an expensive vase that mysteriously broke, there would be no coverage, regardless if there was paranormal activity. Breakage is not covered under a standard homeowners policy.
