March 25, 2008
How not to commit fraud
If you are a corrections officer on leave for a workers compensation injury, you should probably avoid getting dressed up in drag and competing in a public 40-yard dash, running in high heels. Nor should you work two other jobs while collecting workers comp benefits due to your inability to work. Come on people, you will have to do better...March 12, 2008
Return to work and disabled vets
The Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of war represent the largest deployment of civilian soldiers since WWII. Of the 1.5 million troops that have served, approximately one in every four is a National Guard member or a Reservist. While the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act offers legal job protections, the road back will not be an easy one for...March 11, 2008
The best health care plan in America
In 1986, US workers' compensation medical costs were 44% of total incurred loss dollars. Ten years later, the percentage had grown to 48%. By 2006, medical costs amounted to 58% of total loss costs. And today, nearly a third of the way through 2008, they hover around 60%. The annual workers' comp medical cost rate of growth is nearly double...December 21, 2007
Santa Claus is a risky guy!
There's no two ways about it - Santa is an underwriter's nightmare. He's overweight, he drives too fast, and there is some evidence that he is tipping brandy while he drives. Plus he smokes a pipe and eats too many cookies. Besides all his bad habits, Santa's job is a nightmare, and he faces a lot of unusual health risks....December 18, 2007
Last minute holiday gift ideas for the insurance professional in your life
If you haven't done your holiday shopping for that special actuary or risk manager on your list, never fear! We've scoured the Web to bring you a variety of last minute gift suggestions. You should be able to find something for everyone with this huge selection of insurance-related T-shirts - "Trust me, I sell insurance" for your agent, perhaps? There...November 30, 2007
Cell time for cell phones?
Judge Robert Restaino of Niagra Falls NY has given new meaning to the concept of "judicial restraint." On March 11, 2005, the judge was presiding over a roomful of domestic-violence cases when he heard a cell phone ring. He told the roughly 70 people in the courtroom that “every single person is going to jail in this courtroom” unless the...October 24, 2007
So. Cal fires: business as unusual
According to NBC, the southern California fires represent the single largest movement of Americans since the civil war. Nearly one million people were evacuated, including hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons. A state of emergency was declared in 7 counties. As of this morning, 640 square miles had burned. According to preliminary estimates by the Insurance Information Institute, insured losses are...October 1, 2007
Initial rulings go against W.R. Grace in Libby suit
In a case that the Justice Department described as as one of the most serious criminal indictments in U.S. history, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that criminal charges against W.R. Grace executives for "knowing endangerment" could be reinstated. We recently blogged about asbestos-related illnesses surfacing in workers of a Texas vermiculite plant that was run by W.R....September 27, 2007
Illegal Immigrants: Rolling Up the Welcome Mat?
The stalemate in Congress over legislation dealing with illegal immigration has given rise to action at the local - very local - level. A few communities with large immigrant populations have passed ordinances that try to make it difficult for undocumented immigrants to settle. These ordinances are bumping up against the federal courts, where immigrant advocates have aggressively challenged their...September 18, 2007
Help us improve our performance!
As part of our blog birthday week, we look for your help in making the blog even better. It's been a few years since we've taken the pulse of our readers to learn more about who you are , why you visit the blog, and what type of information you'd like to see us talk about. Please take a...September 12, 2007
Why We Blog
As we approach the fourth anniversary of the Workers Comp Insider (September 17, 2003), it's a good time to step back and ask a fundamental question: Why are we doing this? Four years ago Tom, Julie and I observed that there were a lot of bloggers tackling a lot of issues, but they mostly involved isolated individuals pursuing a particular...August 21, 2007
Justice for Judge Joyce?
For unadulterated audacity and out and out gall, Michael Joyce, a Pennsylvania Superior Court Judge, may currently hold the lead in this year's gold medal competition. Scanning Insurance Journal Online today, we learned that last Wednesday, federal prosecutors indicted Judge Joyce for mail fraud and money laundering, claiming that he cheated the Erie Insurance Group and State Farm Insurance out...July 30, 2007
Miscommunication that leads to unecessary lawsuits
A recent survey from Watson Wyatt found that many workers struggle with health care terminology. I think Watson Wyatt might be surprised if they tried this same survey on managers - the results would probably be similar. While this news may not be all that startling - health care is growing increasingly complex in structure and terminology - it does...June 26, 2007
Unsuitable Modified Duty, Wrongful Termination and Attorneys with Cash
On September 10, 2001, just one day before this country's sense of security collapsed along with the World Trade Center towers, a smaller world collapsed around Anthony Boyle, an employee of the Weyerhauser Company in New Jersey. A 600 pound bale of waxy cardboard material fell from a conveyer belt. Boyle used his back to prop it up. He suffered...June 22, 2007
There Goes the Judge
Chris Berkheimer was appointed as a judge in the New Mexico workers compensation system on May 5, 2007. Six days later, he was placed on leave from the $93,400-a-year job. What happened in the interim? He was involved in a mediation. During a break, he propositioned the injured worker (a woman), even though (unknown to the judge) the video camera...April 2, 2007
NY Second Injury Fund: the clock is ticking for recovery opportunities
Employers and insurers in NY take note: if you have claims with potential for second injury fund reimbursement, your window of opportunity for recouping recovery dollars has narrowed significantly. New York just passed legislation which includes provisions to phase out their fund. Also in the works, South Carolina legislators are discussing a schedule to close their fund as well, bringing...February 7, 2007
Random Views from the World of Comp: Mental/Mental Denied, A Justice named Crook and a Crook Named Blizzard
Today's scan of the world of comp begins sadly in Nebraska, takes a brief detour in Wisconsin and ends with the Coingate saga in Ohio. Mark Zach was a state trooper in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 2002 he stopped a low-life named Erick Vela for carrying a concealed weapon. But he accidentally transposed the serial number on the gun, so it...September 11, 2006
Reflections on 9/11
The anniversary of 9/11 is a difficult one for many. The insurance industry was hit particularly hard, with the loss of hundreds of colleagues at Marsh, Aon, and other insurance-related companies housed in the World Trade Center. And here in the Boston area, many were affected by the loss of friends and neighbors traveling on the planes to New York....September 5, 2006
Immigration: No will, No Way.
In the never-ending conundrum of undocumented workers, the solution appears to be no solution. With the President backing away from his middle-of-the-road stance, the New York Times reports that the Republicans are about to give up on a legislative solution to the problem of illegal immigration. The immigration bill, recently a high priority of the administration, is about to slip...August 15, 2006
Employer fraud: a $30 billion price tag?
When the talk turns to workers comp fraud, the default assumption is that the employee is the culprit. In reality, employer fraud is a huge problem, of a scope that many in the industry would say dwarfs claimant fraud. According to Loretta Worters of the Insurance Information Institute in a recent article in the San Antonio Business Journal, premium fraud...August 10, 2006
Living large on workers' comp: employee fraud
Every now and again, a textbook case of blatant workers' comp claimant fraud surfaces in the media. In today's example, we are presented with Robert and Rosemary Bunch, a California husband and wife tag team, who had received more than $1 million in direct payments, as well as the services of a housekeeper and a chauffeur (!) before state authorities...August 2, 2006
Cavalcade of Risk, Issue 5
We are pleased and honored to serve as host for Cavalcade of Risk #5. We could opine at length on the nature of risk - and we often do - but with 20 post submissions ready and rearing to go, we will commence with this week's roster without further ado. However, we'd be remiss if we didn't first offer a...July 21, 2006
News roundup: Cavalcade of Risk, Ohio, productivity and blogging
Cavalcade of Risk #4 - Christopher at MedBill Manager is hosting a baker's dozen of fine posts at the latest edition of Cavalcade of Risk. Grab a coffee and hunker down for a read. More from Ohio - Robert Ceniceros of Business Insurance breaks the story that the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation will return $52 million to injured workers...July 19, 2006
News roundup: NY, PCBs, heat stroke, horseplay, and FedEx
New York rejects a rate hike. A 7.5 percent rate hike requested by the New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board on behalf of insurers was rejected by state officials yesterday. As a reason for the rejection, officials stated that the New York market remains profitable. Officials also berated insurers for not being aggressive about pursuing fraud, and linked this as...July 10, 2006
News roundup: Ohio BWC, insurer competition, terminations, teen safety, and more
Ohio BWC report out - the Office of the Inspector General of Ohio has issued a report on the its fiduciary review of the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation. Essentially, the report states that, since the BWC's restructuring in the mid 1990s, too much power has been vested in the Governor's office, resulting in a the potential for abuse of...July 7, 2006
Cavalcade of Risk
Dominic Foster of Trader Knowledge is this week's host for Cavalcade of Risk. There's a good smorgasbord of posts ranging from health care price controls to insurance agency merger & acquisition activity. Topical blog "carnivals" are a good way to find and sample new blogs....June 27, 2006
Employee compensation
How does your organization's hourly wage and benefit expenditure stack up to the national average? You can find out by comparing your costs to the most recent Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report (March 2006) from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the hourly compensation cost per civilian nonfarm worker averaged $26.86, with salaries accounting for just...June 12, 2006
News roundup - PBMs, mine safety, pandemics, vacations, and IED
PBMs - By declining to review an Appeals decision, Maine's Supreme Court let a decision affirming a law that regulates Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) stand. The PBM industry's lobbying group had been challenging a law that requires disclosure of rebates, conflicts of interest and discounts from drug manufacturers. The law is an attempt to create more transparency for consumers and...June 7, 2006
Cavalcade of Risk debuts
A new blog carnival - Cavalcade of Risk - makes it illustrious debut today - check it out. Kudos to HG Stern at InsureBlog who is the founder of this risk roundup. Here's how he describes it: "The purpose of the C of R is to offer insights into the world of risk management; generally, this will be insurance-related, but...May 22, 2006
News roundup: Miner Deaths, First Aid, Mergers & Acquisitions, and more
I've been in Spain over the last few weeks. Any blogging under my name was done in advance since, by design, I had little access to the Web while traveling. I spent much of the weekend online trying to catch up with news - here are some items I found noteworthy. Miner deaths - In the light of 5 more...April 25, 2006
News roundup: hotel workers, certificates of insurance, productivity, and more
Hotel worker risks - Your comfort is a pain in the neck for many hotel workers - literally. Jordan Barab at Confined Space posts on how the increasingly plush bedding that hotels use to lure guests - duvets, double mattresses, down pillows - are adding to the injuries experienced by hotel workers. "Still other research, by Orr Consulting, a firm...April 19, 2006
News roundup: RTW, Ambulatory Care, Rhode Island shake-up, and more
Today's must-read list: Give disabled workers every reason to remain part of your work force - an article discussing a report by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) on the Stay at Work/Return to Work process. The report discusses the psychological, emotional, and economic impact of disability on the individual. Read the full report: Preventing Needless Disability...April 12, 2006
News Roundup: Immigration, illnesses, frequency, and more
Immigration - A column by Dana Parsons in the L.A. Times (free registration required) discusses illegal workers and the cost of doing business in California. He interviews a roofing contractor on reasons why he hires people off the books and - no surprise - the cost of workers comp is one of the primary reasons cited. Parsons follows up with:...April 4, 2006
News roundup: kudos, unions, sheepherders, and more
Congratulations - to Jordan Barab of Confined Space. He recently celebrated his 3-year blogiversary, and now this week, his blog has been recognized with a Koufax Award for Best Single Issue Blog. Well deserved recognition it is - Jordan is a tireless voice for worker safety, shedding light on topics that would otherwise be relegated to coverage in obscure journals...March 20, 2006
News updates: industry buzz, Kansas legislation, eye safety, and more
Industry buzz - Is there a St. Paul Travelers and Zurich merger afoot? Despite a recent Wall St. Journal article saying this was under discussion, the companies say no. Something to keep an eye on. Meanwhile, Joe Paduda tells us that long-time CEO of the Louisiana Workers Compensation Commission (LWCC) Steve Cavanaugh is moving to a start-up in Texas, and...March 13, 2006
News roundup: pandemics, employment law, immigrants, HR blogs
Flu pandemic - Michael Fitzgibbon at Thoughts from a Management Lawyer asks what your business plan is should a flu pandemic hit. As a denizen of Toronto, a city that faced the SARS outbreak, he is perhaps more sensitized to the potential impact on business than many of us here in the States. He points to a study conducted by...March 10, 2006
Trouble in Neverland
If you had asked me to guess which celebrity was facing a stop work order and fine for failure to pay workers comp, I don't think Michael Jackson would have been at the top of my list, but there you have it. Who says nothing exciting ever happens in workers comp? Yesterday, the Ferris wheel and carousel were shut down...February 27, 2006
News roundup: McCain guest worker bill, Rx repackaging, trench deaths, chromium exposure, and more
Peter Rousmaniere is watching the developments in the McCain guest worker bill, along with a rundown of the bill's supporters and opponents. How big is the issue of immigrant workers? Check out his recent posting on an estimate of the number of undocumented workers by state and their workforce share. Joe Paduda covers the latest in the Ohio Bureau of...January 31, 2006
Workers with guns
News is just now breaking about a Californial postal worker who shot and killed 6 colleagues and then turned the gun on herself. While details of this particular event are still emerging, post office shootings are - sadly enough - an all-too-familiar story. One fairly unusual aspect of this story is that the shooter was a woman. I can't recall...January 3, 2006
Workplace trends for 2006
What's in store for the coming year? Here are the Herman Group's 2006 Workforce Trends, courtesy of Anita Campbell's Small Business Trends. They strike us as right on the money: 1. Intensifying competition for qualified workers. 2. Gradually increasing attention to employee retention. 3. Increasing investment in older workers. 4. Shift in retirement plans to lifetime lifestyle funding. 5. Continued...December 19, 2005
TRIA passed; awaiting presidential signature
In a Christmas present to the nation's insurers, legislators voted to extend the Terrorism Risk and Insurance Act for two more years. The bill, which was set to expire December 31, is now awaiting a presidential signature. While it is not what some in the industry hoped for, it averts the immediate crisis that expiration would have triggered. Many in...December 15, 2005
Administrative note: our new look
We've been up and running for a few years now so we thought it might be good to go into the New Year with a clean new look. What do you think? We still have a little housekeeping to tend to. We'll also be upgrading the blog software over the next week or two, and although we think this will...November 28, 2005
News briefs: MA mandatory insurance, Peter Drucker, OR work blog, work safety
Health insurance: mandatory in Massachusetts? "Under two major proposals that aim to cover the estimated half million uninsured in Massachusetts, the state would require all residents who can afford it to purchase some type of individual plan or face penalties, such as losing their driver's licenses. Massachusetts joins a growing number of states grappling with how to expand coverage at...November 22, 2005
News roundup: SC, CT, safety, HR, healthcare, and more
S.C. Carrier to Stop Writing New Workers' Comp Policies - The Companion Property and Casualty Insurance Group, a Columbia-based subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, announced that as of December 1, it will have a moratorium on new policies, blaming the decision on five years of losses and deteriorating business conditions. The company says that it will...November 14, 2005
News briefs: TRIA, RSI, Medicare Set-Asides, and more
House bill would extend TRIA for two years - Mark Hoffmann of Business Insurance reports that legislation that would extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act by two years is scheduled for review on Nov. 16. He report: "Sources familiar with negotiations surrounding the legislation say that the bill would create so-called silos that would segregate individual lines of coverage and...November 3, 2005
News roundup: Guns, depression, CA doctors, translation services, and more
Kudos - Congratulations to friend and colleague Joe Paduda on the one-year anniversary of his excellent blog, Managed Care Matters. If this blog isn�t on your regular reading list yet, it should be! Guns at Work - Thanks to Michael Fitzgibbon for pointing us to a post at Workplace Prof Blog about guns at work: "Oklahoma and Kentucky have enacted...October 26, 2005
News roundup: Premium rates, ADA, disability awareness, OHIO privatization, and more
RIMS Benchmark Survey: downturn in commercial rates Commercial insurance renewal premiums in the third quarter were down by more than 5% from rates in the same quarter last year, although the survey notes that workers comp was the only major line to drop by less than 5%, with an average reduction of 3.75%. However, for many respondents, the effects of...October 7, 2005
Results of readership survey
Thanks to all those of you who have taken our reader survey - the survey is still active if you'd like to take it, but we thought we would report on results to date. So far, we've learned that 63% of the survey respondants visit daily or several times a week; 84% rated the blog as excellent or good; 61%...September 19, 2005
Happy birthday to us - two years and counting...
We don't often toot our own horn but we're in a celebratory mood after marking our second anniversary of blogging this past weekend. When we embarked on the blog, we weren't entirely sure what level of interest we'd find for our news and commentaries, but we were gratified to break the 10,000 visitor mark last month. We thank you, our...August 23, 2005
News roundup: health, safety, HR, and other stories from the blogosphere
Danger Flying Objects. M.R.I.'s Strong Magnets Cited in Accidents is a fascinating yet scary article from the NYT about safety concerns surrounding MRI equipment. It linked to a site with incredible images of wheel chairs and other objects being sucked into the MRI machines. Yikes - a safety hazard for patients and workers alike! (via MetaFilter). Ohio Coingate. Investigations into...August 22, 2005
Rapid cognition: framing injured workers
Malcom Gladwell, author of a book called Blink, was recently on a news show discussing the tragic death of Jean Charles de Menezes, the innocent Brazilian who was erroneously killed by British police in their zeal to prevent another London subway bombing. Among the many interesting observations Gladwell made was one that particularly resonated with me. He noted that once...August 18, 2005
Guns at work
Should employers be able to prohibit guns at the workplace? ConocoPhillips thinks so and is challenging a recently enacted Oklahoma law to assert that right. In response, the NRA will be launching a national billboard advertising campaign calling for a boycott of ConocoPhillip's gas. The Christian Science Monitor recently discussed this issue in an excellent article entitled Worker right or...August 16, 2005
Short takes: OSHA inspections, HR jargon, Trump blog, Ohio scandal
OSHA inspections. Meg Fletcher of Business Insurance reports that OSHA is targeting about 4,000 high-hazard worksites for inspections in the coming year. Inspections will first target sites that "reported 12 or more injuries or illnesses resulting in days away from work, restricted work activity or job transfer for every 100 full-time workers in 2003. Nursing homes and random sites will...July 25, 2005
Litigation funding firms and workers comp cases
A reader asks for information about "litigation funding" firms. These are companies that offer an advance to claimants to fund litigation. I had never heard of these types of organizations being used in workers compensation cases, so this question sent me digging. Who better to offer an opinion than an expert? Alan Pierce of Alan S. Pierce & Associates is...July 13, 2005
Workers comp meets Internet radio and TV
If theres one thing that the web is good for, its uniting people with niche interests. When we first embarked on a workers comp weblog, we hoped there would be some interest in the topic but we werent quite sure what to expect. As we near the two-year mark, weve been gratified by the response and pleased that some other...June 9, 2005
Work bullies & bad bosses
Most of us can remember some grade school nightmare involving a bully. My nemesis was a seemingly innocuous and almost cherubic looking boy who had the soul of Attila. There wasn't a single kid in the school or pet in the neighborhood that didn't feel the toe of his boot, either literally or figuratively. It really wouldn't surprise me in...June 7, 2005
News roundup from industry publications
Have you checked out our resource sidebar lately? Besides our "blogroll" of weblogs we find interesting or related, we have also compiled a lengthy list of publications and resources that offer one-stop-shopping for all your industry news. Here are a few recent news items we've noted: If you haven't done so, check out the site redesign at Business Insurance. It's...May 9, 2005
Qualified interpreters can save lives
We've blogged before about language in the workplace, the impact that language has on safety, and the increased risk of death that non-English speaking immigrants face at work. We've also talked about the need for cultural competence in health care in the face of changing worker demographics. In a post entitled People are dying because of their language, Jordan Barab...May 8, 2005
What's your Mom worth?
Did you ever stop to think what a hard-working stay-at-home Mom should be earning if she were paid for her labors? Salary.com did, and they tallied the regular pay and overtime to come up with a figure of $131,471. To arrive at that number, they looked at the various roles a Mom plays and the cost of those tasks if...May 5, 2005
Course and Scope: A Case of Flag Waving
We stumbled upon a workers comp case in South Dakota illustrating one of the more interesting technicalities of workers comp: coverage begins when you are "working" -- but when are you working? There are times when injuries suffered while travelling to the job site are covered and situations when they are not. Because the vast majority of American workers do...May 3, 2005
Risk Factor: new industry publication
Risk Factor is a monthly newsletter that made its debut at RIMS. Lori Widmer is a principal behind this new monthly publication - she's a savvy and experienced risk management editor, having worked wih and been published by some of the premier risk, workers comp, and HR industry publications. Learn more at the Risk Factor website, and read Lori's commentary...April 25, 2005
RIMS report: notes from Philly
I spent last week at the annual Risk & Insurance Management Society annual meeting in Philadelphia last week. This is one of the single largest events in the property and casualty industry, attracting thousands of attendees and exhibitors. A quick snapshot of the show reflects an industry in turmoil. When I reflect the first RIMS I attended in Orlando more...April 15, 2005
Maximizing recovery: Second injury funds
One of the nooks and crannies of workers comp that often gets short shrift is the issue of recovery. Many employers and insurers can recoup claim expenditures through second injury funds or subrogation, for example. Since this is a large area, today we'll briefly discuss second injury funds, and return to subrogation at another juncture. Second injury funds were designed...Administrative note
We're all traveling over the next week or so - some of us will be at RIMS - so blogging may be light. While we're gone, we will be turning comments off - we are being bedeviled by comment spam and won't be here as frequently to weed the garden. We should be back to regular posting the week of...March 3, 2005
Weblog roundup: workplace violence, volunteers, unions, smoking restrictions & more
Diane Pfadenhauer at Strategic HR Lawyer offers workplace violence prevention resources and Michael Fox at Jottings by an Employer's Lawyer reports on a $2.25 million award in a recent case revolving around violence in the workplace. Professor Martin Grace at Risk Prof comments on our discussion about volunteers. Ted Frank at Overlawyered has been following the $17M award against Archdiocese...February 19, 2005
Zookeepers take note: an employment-related practice your supervisors should avoid
It's the weekend, so we couldn't resist bringing you this rather unusual story of two fired employees, a gorilla, and a million dollar employment lawsuit. We would like to think employers don't need to be told these things, but apparently some people need things spelled out in some detail: it's not a good idea to ask your employees to disrobe...February 15, 2005
News roundup: Spitzer probe, NY Security Fund, FL exclusive remedy ruling, & more
Spitzer probe expands to managed care firms The New York Attorney General's office is expanding its inquiries to encompass managed care practices. At Managed Care Matters, Joe Paduda reports that Concentra has received a subpoena. In his post, Joe discusses some industry practices that might be under scrutiny, although he rightfully notes that this is not to infer that Concentra...February 7, 2005
Managers' tool kit: new healthcare, socioeconomic, and interactive resources
It's been awhile since we've added new resources to the toolbar on the right. We hope to create a one-stop shop of valuable workers compensation, HR, medical, and health & safety resources for industry practitioners, as well as for workers. Here are some recent finds: Since 1997, Pam Pohly's management guide for healthcare executives has been seeking and posting a...January 30, 2005
Weblog roundup: unions, healthcare costs, employment at will & more
Strategic HR Lawyer offers a reminder that as of February 1, employers have annual OSHA posting requirements for job-related injuries that occurred last year. Phillip Wilson of Laboring Away at the Institute links to a recent BLS report on union membership. Last year, union membership in the private sector fell to less than 8%; in the public sector, it fell...January 6, 2005
Trends and issues at the start of a new year
As we embark on the new year, many weblogs and business publications have been recapping 2004 or making predictions for the coming year. Here are a few we've noted. George's Employment Blawg suggests that a good way for employers to begin the new year is to update the employee handbook and offers some tips for key areas to address. Rough...December 20, 2004
Weblog roundup: news from fellow bloggers
Lots of interesting news from our blog friends this weekend...we'll just rely on short pointers. CA doctor, attorneys find widespread denial of care for workers "A physician and an attorneys' group said Thursday that efforts to overhaul California's workers' compensation system have led to widespread denials of care for employees who suffer job-related injuries." The folks at HealthLawProf Blog point...November 25, 2004
Thanksgiving and how to avoid too much of a good thing
Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers, particularly those for whom the day is business as usual - police, firefighters, healthcare workers, soldiers, waiters, cooks, utilities workers - for thousands of workers, it's just another day at the office. Hats off to all the workers who keep things running well and safely so the rest of us can enjoy the day!...October 18, 2004
Additions to our resource and weblog sidebar
It's been awhile since we added any weblogs or tools to the sidebar, but we've been collecting some excellent new links. If you haven't checked out the sidebar over on the right, make sure you do...we try to dig up some of the best workers comp-related web resources. Take the time to browse around every now and again - you'll...October 5, 2004
Applications being accepted for John Jones Scholar in Workers' Compensation Research
Are you a researcher with an interest in workers compensation? If so, you may want to submit an application to the John Jones Scholar in Workers Compensation Research by February 1, 2005 for a $10,000 research grant. This award was created by the Workers' Compensation Research Institutes (WCRI) Board of Directors to recognize the many contributions of John Jones, one...September 11, 2004
9/11 remembered: One Day's Pay
Many in the insurance industry still grieve over the loss of cherished colleagues at AON, Marsh, and other firms on September 11, 2001. We respectfully remember these and all the victims of that sad day. One Day's Pay is a nonprofit grassroots movement started by relatives and friends of 9/11 victims who hope to help establish September 11 as a...September 8, 2004
Employer communications - an increasing credibility gap?
A Towers Perrin report entitled Is It Time to Take the SPIN Out of Employee Communication? (pdf) reveals that in a survey of 1,000 working Americans, only 51 percent believe that their company generally tells the truth in its communications to employees, and one in five employees believes that their employer generally does not tell the truth. Among the other...July 22, 2004
Weblog roundup: subrogation, TB in DC & VA, CFO survey, PBMs, robots, & more
Construction site injury - can someone other than a comp carrier be liable? - subrogation case law from Michigan Comp Law. A few recent offerings from Jordan Barab at Confined Space: TB Control in DC and VA and Immigrant Worker Fatalities - the Facts Duke University CFO Survey - Duke University�s Fuqua School of Business polls the CFOs of both...June 8, 2004
Lost Labor: Images of Vanished American Workers 1900-1980
For more than 20 years, visual artist Raymon Elozua has been assembling a vast collection of company histories, pamphlets, and technical brochures that document America's industrial history. This site features 155 photos from that collection - images of factories, machinery, and laborers hard at work. Many of the jobs depicted have faded into history. The artist grew up in the...May 27, 2004
Business blog news roundup
Workers comp case law - Go visit Judge Robert Vonada at PAWC - he's been posting some interesting case law this month. His May 25 post is a reversed finding for a claim of mental/mental disability arising from homosexual advances by a supervisor. The disability allegedly was triggered by post traumatic stress disorder from service in Vietnam. Working Poor -...May 4, 2004
Work force issues for the next decade
Will the offshore outsourcing trend continue? How will the work force of the future differ from the work force of today? In 25 Trends That Will Change the Way You Do Business, Workforce forecasts the way that work force management might differ 10 years from now. It's an interesting read, and some of the issues will have an impact on...April 6, 2004
You're fired! Should you terminate an employee who is on workers compensation?
Donald Trump's TV series has everyone joking about firing or being fired, although for anyone who has ever been on either end of the equation - as the manager who fires, or as the employee who is fired - it is rarely a joking matter. Some would make the case that in today's litigious society, most companies don't 'fire' employees...February 23, 2004
Hazardous duty: Earl Dotter photographs America working
You must visit the extraordinary site of photojournalist Earl Dotter. He describes his work better than I ever could: For 30 years, the camera has enabled me to do meaningful work. Starting in the Appalachian coal fields, and continuing through the years over a broad spectrum of industries and regions of the country, I have observed and documented the working...February 4, 2004
Employment law weblog
For an expert legal perspective on the ADA, discrimination, harassment, and a variety of other workplace legal issues, check out George's Employment Blawg. George is an employment attorney in St. Louis. Among the many interesting items that I found on my visit to his site: Workforce Management conducted a survey ranking workers comp high on a list of regulatory issues...January 4, 2004
New year's news roundup from fellow 'blogs
PA Judge Robert Vonada of PAWC points to an article in the New York Times about two different treatment options for back pain and the methods hardware manufacturers use to market their products to doctors and hospitals. Would you be surprised to learn that the more expensive treatment is prevalent, despite lack of evidence that it is more effective? We...December 29, 2003
Communication pays dividends
From Wisconsin, land of many lakes, come three refreshing case histories depicting the many benefits that can accrue when employers heighten communication with employees. The unifying theme? "Aggressively listening to employees pays huge dividends." At a local corrugated box plant of the Weyerhaeuser Company, an employee-based safety campaign reduced accidents involving lost work time from 20 in 1999 to none...December 17, 2003
Everything you ever wanted to know about captives...
As the property and casualty insurance industry continues to consolidate, more and more large employers are considering alternative risk financing arrangements for their workers' compensation programs. One of the increasingly popular alternatives is forming a captive. For many, there's a lot of mystery around exactly what a captive is or isn't. Captive.com provides an excellent round up of articles, white...November 6, 2003
Additions to the blogroll
We've added a few new links to our "blogroll." That's a sidebar of weblog links, for all of you weblog rookies ;-) Jottings by an Employer's Lawyer is the latest addition. It's maintained by Michael W. Fox, a Texas attorney who specializes in labor and employment law. He offers some interesting news and pointers to regional and national issues. in...November 3, 2003
Check out Business Insurance
The entire Nov. 3 issue of Business Insurance is available online this week - viewable and printable in a PDF version. This was in response to the fires in southern california which were expected to cause a delay deliveries to some subscribers. One of the front page stories reports on the fire from an insurance perspective. And worth checking out:...October 22, 2003
As Kelly goes, so goes the nation.
More and more, the nation's health care crisis is bleeding into the workers' compensation insurance arena where medical costs in a number of jurisdictions are rising dramatically. Until now, many states had insulated themselves from escalating costs by creating and enforcing medical fee schedules, most often tied to Medicaid rates. While this strategy has mostly kept the lid on the...October 17, 2003
When work turns deadly
Sometimes when workplace prevention breaks down, the events affect more than your employees as was the case in last week's tragic N.Y. ferry crash that resulted in 10 deaths and 42 injuries. The accident investigation is underway, with all eyes on the Captain. Substance abuse testing of the crew showed no problem areas, but there have been some as-yet unconfirmed...October 15, 2003
