The Department of Financial Services’ Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) Bureau of Compliance carried out a 2-day compliance check of Florida employers in June, issuing 70 stop-work orders to businesses that lacked workers’ compensation insurance. According to Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, investigators contacted more than 888 employers and made random visits to 435 worksites during the sweep, which included everything from general contractors and subcontractors to restaurants and medical centers.

“Let this be a wake-up call to employers who would try to dodge the system by not paying their workers’ compensation or not paying for the proper classification of workers’ compensation for their employees,” said CFO Sink. “The construction industry in particular must ensure that employees are properly protected because of the dangerous jobs they perform, but workplace safety and adequate workers’ compensation insurance is simply the right thing to do for all workers.”

The stop-work orders will remain in effect until the affected employers obtain proper coverage and pay assessed penalties. If an employer fails to pay an assessed penalty, DWC has the authority to initiate lien proceedings to collect it. During the current fiscal year, DWC has conducted nearly 30,000 on-site investigations into employer compliance and filed more than 360 liens against delinquent employers totaling $13.7 million, Sink reported.