Opponents Square Off over Safety Worker Presumptions

By Greg Jones, Western Bureau ChiefBills that would create a presumption that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is compensable in hospital workers and eliminate the time limit for collecting death benefits under existing presumptions for police and firefighters are not necessary and would drive up costs in California, opponents said during a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday.The Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations also heard testimony on a measure that would authorize the Division of Workers’ Compensation to maintain a list of certified medical examination an...