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October 2004 State: Georgia Area of Interest: Oxendine Announces Arrest of Toombs Agent Insurance Commissioner John W. Oxendine said an investigation by his office resulted in the arrest today of insurance agent in Lyons, Ga. Arrested was Meredith Dianne Sowell, 165 Humphries Trail Circle, Lyons. She has been charged with 13 counts of insurance fraud. Oxendine said Sowell allegedly kept premiums paid to her for various coverages, including auto, general liability and workers comp. The suspect's agency, Sowell and Sowell Insurance, is located at 325 North State Street in Lyons. She 's also charged with issuing bogus insurance certificates in Chatham County. Warrants were issued in both Toombs and Chatham Counties. Source: State of Georgia State: New York Area of Interest: OSHA Cites Ogdensburg Cheese Plant for Safety & Health Hazards An Ogdensburg, N.Y., cheese manufacturer's failure to protect workers against the unexpected startup of machinery, hazardous chemicals, falls and other safety and health hazards has resulted in $184,900 in proposed fines from the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. St Lawrence Food Corp., doing business as Primo Foods, was cited for a total of 38 alleged willful, repeat, serious and other violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act at its 30 Main St. plant. OSHA conducted the inspection from March 11 to September 3, as part of a safety and health emphasis program covering food processing plants in the local area. The inspection found that the company failed to provide "lockout/tagout" protection for employees who service and clean equipment to ensure that machinery does not accidentally startup during repair or maintenance. In addition, employees were not trained on the hazards of the corrosive chemicals with which they work. These conditions resulted in the issuance of two willful citations, with $112,500 in proposed fines. Thirty-two serious citations, carrying $68,400 in fines, were issued for such hazards as failing to label confined spaces and institute a program for safe entry; missing stair railings; not providing fall protection for employees working at heights of up to 12 feet; obstructed exit routes; unguarded moving machine parts; and failure to properly maintain electrical equipment. A repeat citation, with a $3,200 fine, was issued for the company's failure to institute a hearing conservation program. OSHA had cited Lewis County Dairy, which is owned by the same company, in May 2003 for a similar hazard at its Lowville, N.Y., dairy. An additional $800 in fines were proposed for three other citations for failing to maintain a log of occupational illnesses and injuries, an uncovered floor drain and not marking the load capacity on a fork lift. Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration Area of Interest: OSHA/NHTSA Unveil "Every Belt - Every Ride" Seat Belt Campaign Initiative Focused on Federal Employee Safety The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in partnership with the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), launched a campaign at the National Safety Congress in New Orleans today to encourage all federal employees to wear seat belts in all stations of moving motor vehicles. "Every Belt - Every Ride" emphasizes the importance of wearing a seat belt no mater which seat you are in when traveling on public business in government vehicles, private automobiles, taxis or any other moving motor vehicle. In highway traffic crashes, wearing a seat belt can reduce the risk of death by 45 to 60 percent, according to NHTSA. "Every Belt - Every Ride" is designed to make federal employees aware of the life-saving value of seat belts and remind them that Executive Order 13043 requires them to wear seat belts in all seats-front and back-whenever they travel in motor vehicles. As part of the launch, OSHA and NHTSA are sponsoring a Motor Vehicle Safety Symposium today for federal safety and health staff attending the National Safety Congress. The symposium features both government and private sector experts who will discuss the benefits and impact of motor vehicle safety programs as well as best practices in preventing and surviving highway crashes. "Every Belt - Every Ride" promotional materials include decals to encourage federal employees to buckle up; small posters federal agencies can download, print and post on employee bulletin boards; expanded information on OSHA's Motor Vehicle Safety webpage; and follow-up messages for agency employee communications. Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Area of Interest: Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi Sees Potential Savings from Latest Round of Workers Compensation Reform "Today the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) has proposed a 3.5 percent increase in the pure premium rate, to become effective January 1, 2005. This is only half the story. I have also received valuable information from experts and industry concerning the status of the workers' compensation system. SB 899 requires that regulations be written before it can be fully implemented. The Division of Workers' Compensation Administrative Director stated that the regulations should yield cost savings. When the regulations are in place we may find sufficient savings to more than offset the WCIRB'S recommended 3.5 percent increase, and continue the rate reductions that commenced with the 2003 reforms.” Insurance fraud is a felony with a penalty of two to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000. Source: State of California State: California Area of Interest: Modesto Husband and Wife Collared for Insurance and Workers' Compensation Fraud - Arrest warrants executed on 20 dentists from Sacramento to San Diegoin $4.5 million fraud case Today Modesto residents Dr. Kyon Maung Teo, D.D.S., 42, and his wife, Kin Thor Pang, 33, were arrested as part of a sweep conducted from Sacramento to San Diego to apprehend 21 people suspected of defrauding the state's Medi-Cal system of more than $4.5 million. Teo, owner of Hatch Dental Clinics located in Ceres, Stockton and Modesto, 19 other dentists, and Pang, the clinics' office manager, are suspected of multiple felonies, including health insurance billing fraud and workers' compensation premium fraud, conspiracy, grand theft, child and elder abuse, assault, and intentional infliction of great bodily injury. The arrests were the result of a joint investigation between the California Department of Justice, California Department of Health Services and the California Department of Insurance, Fraud Division (CDI). Bail amounts for Teo and Pang were set at $1,000,000 each. The CDI investigation, limited to Teo and Pang, revealed that the husband and wife team allegedly committed $6,640 in billing fraud to various health insurance carriers. The investigation further revealed Teo and Pang allegedly committed worker's compensation premium fraud by intentionally understating the salaries of Hatch Dental Clinic employees. The underreporting resulted in a suspected total loss of $10,102 on policies covered by two separate workers' compensation insurance carriers. A criminal complaint filed by Attorney General Bill Lockyer in Stanislaus County Superior Court alleges Teo is the mastermind of a scam involving dentists throughout California. According to the complaint, Teo placed advertisements on the backs of missing children flyers and in PennySaver and DollarSaver classifieds. The advertisements offered gifts or rebates to Medi-Cal beneficiaries and “new patients” who sought services at Hatch Dental Clinics. Teo and Pang are believed to be involved in numerous incidents of billing for services not rendered, as well as altering dates of service or types of service in order to obtain monies from insurance carriers. Pang allegedly trained office staff to complete false dental claims, including changing dates of service or billing Medi-Cal and private insurance companies for “emergency” office visits if the patients' were ineligible for routine coverage at the time of service. In addition, claims were allegedly submitted for visits that never occurred and for non-existent procedures purportedly performed during the fabricated office visits. Source: State of California State: Ohio Area of Interest: OSHA Proposes $540,000 in Penalties for Ohio Auto Parts Manufacturer An Ohio automotive parts manufacturer who failed to protect and train workers about hazards associated with mechanical power presses is facing proposed fines of $540,000. The fines follow an accident in which an employee lost three fingers and suffered extensive upper body injuries, the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced today. Plastech Exterior Systems Inc., an automotive stamping manufacturer in Newton Falls, Ohio, was cited for 16 safety and health violations, including seven alleged willful violations, for failure to secure in place the two-hand control stations of mechanical power presses. The citations are the result of an OSHA investigation that began April 8, in response to a complaint that an employee had suffered an amputation injury to his hand and serious injury to his arm while operating a mechanical power press. The investigation found the amputation happened on March 17. OSHA assessed Plastech $490,000 in penalties for the seven willful citations. The company was also issued for five serious citations with penalties totaling $15,000, two repeat citations with a penalty of $35,000, and two other-than-serious citations with no monetary penalty. Plastech has 15 working days to contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration Area of Interest: Ergonomics Guidelines Announced for Poultry Processing Industry OSHA's industry-specific guidelines focus on practical solutions Employers and workers in the poultry processing industry have a set of guidelines to draw on to help reduce ergonomic-related injuries, OSHA Administrator John Henshaw announced today. Guidelines for Poultry Processing offers practical recommendations for employers to reduce the number and severity of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) throughout the industry. Poultry processing joins the nursing home and retail grocery store industries that now benefit from industry-specific ergonomics guidelines -- one part of OSHA's comprehensive strategy to reduce ergonomic-related injuries. Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration
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