Blog
Ridgemark Insurance Services
COVID-19 Workers’ Comp Claims Grow, While Overall Claims Plummet
While the number of COVID-19 workers’ compensation cases filed in California continues to grow, total workplace injury and illness claims in the state have fallen nearly 20% so far in 2020 compared to 2019. Through September, the state had recorded 47,412 COVID-19...
Injury and Illness Prevention Plans Save You Money, Period!
Employees are your most valuable asset, but many businesses overlook the importance of having a workplace safety program in place to protect them. Loss control is about employers caring for their workers’ safety. Successful loss control programs are means of reducing...
New Workers’ Compensation Rate Filing Expands COVID-19 Surcharge Tiers
The California Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has amended its 2021 rate filing to make its earlier recommended COVID-19 surcharge more equitable. The Rating Bureau is leaving unchanged its overall recommendation that benchmark rates be increased an...
Mandatory Employer Sign-ups for CalSavers Have Begun
If your company does not offer its staff a 401(k) plan, you need to be aware of deadlines for registering your employees in the CalSavers Retirement Savings Program. The program is designed to help California workers who do not have access to an employer-sponsored...
The Big Question: Can Employers Require Workers to Vaccinate?
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on and more employers bring staff back to the workplace, many businesses are considering implementing mandatory vaccination policies for seasonal flus as well as the coronavirus. A safe and widely accessible vaccine would allow...
Alert: New Law Creates COVID-19 Workers’ Comp Framework
Governor Newsom has signed legislation that creates a new framework for COVID-19-related workers’ compensation claims. SB 1159, which takes effect immediately, partly replaces an executive order that Newsom made on March 18 and which expired on July 5. That...
Cal/OSHA Requires Employers to Protect Workers from Wildfire Smoke
As wildfires continue raging throughout California, Cal/OSHA has issued a reminder to employers that they are required to protect their outdoor workers from smoke if the air quality index exceeds 151. Cal/OSHA has extended an emergency regulation it put in place in...
New Law Adds Independent Contractor, Freelance Exemptions to AB 5
A new law has come to the rescue of a number of freelance professions by exempting them from the onerous requirements of AB 5, which required most independent contractors to be classified as employees in California. Governor Gavin Newsom on Sept. 1 signed AB 2257 as...
COVID-19 Claims Growing Among California Workers
The number of COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims in California has seen a steady climb, reaching a total of 31,612 from when the pandemic started until the end of July, according to the latest figures from the Division of Workers’ Compensation. In July, 9,515...
Dealing with Violent Customers Who Refuse to Wear Masks
As many states and municipalities have issued mandatory mask orders for businesses that are open to the public, operators like retailers and restaurants have been thrust into the front lines of reducing the spread of the virus by requiring customers to wear masks when...