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Free Articles: The following data and articles are available here online at no charge. 

1.  Workers' Compensation in the United States:  A Primer, by John F. Burton, Jr.  This article was published in Perspectives on Work (The Magazine of the LERA), Summer 2007.

2. Compliance with the Essential Recommendations of the National Commission on State Workmen's Compensation Laws, 2004 

3. Compliance with the Essential Recommendations of the National Commission on State Workmen's Compensation Laws, 2003 

4. Compliance with the Essential Recommendations of the National Commission on State Workmen's Compensation Laws, 2002  

5.  Changes in Workers' Compensation Laws, 2004  by Glenn Whittington.  

6.  Changes in Workers' Compensation Laws, 2003  by Glenn Whittington.  This is a  7-page [PDF] report.

7.  Changes in Workers' Compensation Laws, 2002  by Glenn Whittington.  This is a  5-page [PDF] report.

8.  The Employers' Costs of Workers' Compensation Insurance in Ontario and Selected Other Canadian and U.S. Jurisdictions.  by Terry Thomason and John F. Burton, Jr. This Report is 130 pages long and has been broken into the following sections [PDF files] for quicker load time:

Contents and Preface (pages i-vii)

Introduction and Section I: Methodology for Measuring Employer' Costs (pages 1-17)

Section II: The Cost of Workers' Compensation in Ontario and Other Jurisdictions (pages 18-45)

Section III: Comparability of Cost Estimates Among Jurisdictions: Other Issues (pages 46-71)

Section IV: Delivery System Efficiency: Methodology and Variables (pages 72-87)

Section V: Delivery System Efficiency: Empirical Results (pages 88-108)

Section VI: Summary and Conclusions (pages 109-111)

References (pages 112-114)

Endnotes (pages 115-122)

9.  IRSST (Quebec Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute)

Improving Nanoparticle Risk Management

  Montreal , February 3, 2009 – The very first guide in Québec to deal with managing the risks associated with synthetic nanoparticles has just been published. It is a best practices guide published jointly by the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) and NanoQuébec. The guide sets out a prevention strategy appropriate to the workers and researchers who use, manufacture or synthesize nanoparticles.

A practical approach

The authors of the guide note that the level of knowledge on health and safety risks related specifically to nanoparticles is still very limited. For one thing, the toxic effects linked to the ability of these particles to pass through various biological barriers, disperse in the organism and accumulate in certain organs and within cells have only been partially documented. While we know that nanoparticles can be more toxic than their equivalent larger-scale chemical counterparts, current knowledge nevertheless allows us to manage the risks, even when the levels of toxicity and exposure are uncertain. Designed for companies, researchers and other stakeholders concerned about the effects of nanotechnologies, the guide describes the current state of knowledge in the field and makes recommendations to encourage taking responsibility for and controlling its risk factors so as to prevent employment injuries. The guide ascertains the health, safety and environmental risks of nanotechnologies, suggests an approach for evaluating and controlling these risks, documents current practices at the international level and specifies which factors should form part of an institutional prevention program. In making the document public, Marie Larue , IRSST President and CEO stated, “The guide does not address every issue associated with nanoparticles. Its merits include recommending a preventive approach for minimizing occupational exposure, suggesting a step-by-step approach and providing concrete examples of applications in industrial settings and research centres."

For more details or to download the report: http://www.irsst.qc.ca/files/documents/PubIRSST/R-599.pdf

10.  IRSST (Quebec Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute) 

Machine Safety – Prevention of Mechanical Hazards

A new guide published by the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) discusses the prevention of mechanical hazards. It describes methods for eliminating hazards at source and ways to protect against them by using fixed guards.

The risk reduction or distance protection principles presented in the guide are appropriate for the majority of machines. However, before applying the generic solutions proposed in this guide for conveyors, metal presses, drills and rubber machines, it is necessary to consult Quebec regulations and standards relating to these machines.

The guide covers some of the currently known protection principles; however, it is not an exhaustive collection of solutions.

The download the document: http://www.irsst.qc.ca/files/documents/PubIRSST/RG-597.pdf

Books: You can link to other websites to purchase the following books:

1. Worker' Compensation: Benefits, Costs, and Safety under Alternative Insurance Arrangements, Terry Thomason, Timothy P. Schmidle, and John F. Burton, Jr. Order from Upjohn Institute at www.upjohninst.org (457 pp. $43 cloth ISBN 0-88099-218-2 / $25 paperback ISBN 0-88099-217-4 January 2001).