SR Max is a slip resistant shoe provider. They work with businesses of all sizes to improve employee safety through customized slip resistant shoe programs to meet your specific needs. They have compiled some interesting statistics about workers compensation slip-and-fall injuries.
Note from R. Shafer: On most of the loss runs I have examined, Slip/Trip/Fall is VERY common regardless of the industry so a shoe program might be worth considering. We don't endorse any particular product, but Sr. Max was willing to write an article for us about this topic, so the links are to their website. Hopefully the article will be educational on risk techniques you will find useful.
Did You Know?
Slip, trip and fall injuries make up 15 percent of all worker’s compensation claims.
The average slip and fall worker’s compensation claim is nearly $22,000.
Sixty-five percent of lost work days are due to slip and fall accidents.
Twenty-two percent of slip and fall incidents resulted in more than 31 days away from work.
Twenty-four percent of workplace slip and falls can be directly attributed to footwear.
How can I protect my employees from slip and falls?
A great way for an employer to reduce slip and fall accidents is with a company-wide slip resistant shoe program. This program should be a part of an overall safety plan and can be handled by the safety director or loss prevention specialist in the organization. A good slip resistant shoe program can reduce slip and falls by 50 percent or more with little or no cost to the employer.
By mandating employees wear appropriate footwear for their working environment and providing guidance about where and how to purchase slip resistant shoes, businesses can proactively reduce their accident rates and better protect their employees.
How do slip resistant shoes prevent slip and falls?
Slip resistant shoes have a specially made sole that offers increased resistance to sliding or skidding in wet or greasy surface conditions. This sole is made from a softer rubber compound that is designed to provide more traction by gripping the microscopic roughness of the walking surface. Additionally, slip-resistant shoe soles typically feature a grid-like tread pattern that funnels liquid out from under the shoe, preventing hydroplaning on water or grease.
How do I know my employees are wearing the right shoes?
Not all slip resistant shoes perform equally. Make sure that employees are only wearing shoes that have been tested and have a slip resistance rating. Many of the shoes from retail shoe stores claim to be slip resistant, but don’t offer any significant increase in protection for your employees. A quality slip resistant shoe vendor should be able to produce test results to verify the slip resistance of their shoes.
What styles of slip resistant shoes are there?
Nearly any type of work shoe can be made with a slip resistant sole. Depending on your workplace, the shoe styles your employees wear will vary:
1. If you run a restaurant, your kitchen workers might be wearing waterproof clogs, while your servers could be wearing oxfords.
2. A hospital or long-term care facility will be a great setting for comfortable, supportive sneakers.
3. An industrial or manufacturing setting needs something tougher, such a steel toe or comp toe work boot.
4. Consider keeping a stock of various sized overshoes on hand for new hires to wear until they get proper footwear, or for visiting supervisors.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
The Federal Trade Commission has approved changes to its Business Opportunity Rule that will ensure that consumers have the information they need when considering buying a work-at-home program or any other business opportunity. The Commission’s vote approving the final amendments to the Business Opportunity Rule was 4-0.
According to a report from the FTC, the changes simplify the disclosures that business opportunity sellers must provide to prospective buyers. The simplified disclosures will help prospective purchasers assess the risks of buying a business opportunity, while minimizing compliance burdens on businesses. (WCxKit)
In addition, the Final Rule, effective on March 1, 2012, applies to business opportunities previously covered under the Rule, as well as work-at-home offers such as envelope stuffing and craft assembly opportunities. The final Rule requires business opportunity sellers to give consumers specific information to help them evaluate a business opportunity.
Sellers must disclose five key items of information in a simple, one-page document:
1. The seller's identifying information;
2. Whether the seller makes a claim about the purchaser's likely earnings (and, if the seller checks the "yes" box, the seller must provide information supporting any such claims);
3. Whether the seller, its affiliates or key personnel have been involved in certain legal actions (and, if yes, a separate list of those actions);
4. Whether the seller has a cancelation or refund policy (and, if yes, a separate document stating the material terms of such policies);
5. And a list of persons who bought the business opportunity within the previous three years.
Misrepresentations and omissions are prohibited under the Rule, and for sales conducted in languages other than English, all disclosures must be provided in the language in which the sale is conducted. Consumers should use the disclosure document and supplementary information to fact-check sellers' sales pitches.
The announcement of a final Business Opportunity Rule completes the process started when the Commission published an Initial Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and proposed creating a Business Opportunity Rule separate from the Franchise Rule. The FTC issued a Revised Proposed Business Opportunity Rule and conducted a public workshop, and the staff issued a Staff Report. (WCxKit)
At every stage of the Rule amendment proceeding, the Commission solicited comment on the economic impact of the Rule, as well as the costs and benefits of each proposed amendment. In issuing the final Rule, the Commission has carefully considered the comments received and the costs and benefits of each amendment.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
A Brunswick (Medina County), Ohio business owner is sentenced following a fraud investigation. He operated his business in violation of the law which forbids injured workers from working while also receiving benefits from the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC).
George Seiber is ordered by a Franklin County judge to repay more than $24,000 he received while working and simultaneously receiving Temporary Total Disability benefits. (WCxKit)
“The law is very clear in forbidding employment or running a business while receiving workers comp benefits,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Stephen Buehrer. “Unfortunately for many of the perpetrators, BWC’s fraud staff sees these cases over and over again and is much attuned to the red flags that often signal fraudulent activity.”
BWC’s Special Investigations Department (SID) received a fraud allegation from a BWC employee who suspected Seiber of working while receiving Temporary Total Disability benefits. When the employee called Seiber, she received a voice mail message for a business called Roofer Inc. Suspecting that Seiber may be working at Roofer Inc., SID opened a fraud investigation.
The investigation found Seiber owned and operated the company and performed work activities including contacting customers, appraising roofs, preparing proposals, supervising staff, and handling money transactions. (WCxKit)
Seiber pleaded guilty in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court. Seiber was sentenced to 12 months incarceration, suspended, and five years of community control. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $24,883.88, including $1,000 for investigative costs.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
Supervisors, workers, and employers in any industry in British Columbia may benefit from a new WorkSafeBC online safety training course that can be accessed any time, free of charge. The Supervising for Safety course provides information and resources on supervision and the key role it plays in providing and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace, according to a report from WorkSafeBC.
“It’s all about getting occupational health and safety resources to the customer in ways that meet their needs,” says Gordon Thorne, WorkSafeBC manager of Safety Videos & Publications, who helped build the course. “Making the course available on its own Web site and on Facebook increases access by bringing the classroom experience to the participant.” (WCxKit)
The program originated with an industry group of labour, business, and WorkSafeBC officers concerned with injury and disease prevention. Supervisors in industry may lack a full understanding of their role and responsibilities relating to the safety of their workers, including the requirement to provide information, instruction, training, supervision, verification of knowledge, and correction of workplace hazards.
“We built the program because there wasn’t much out there for supervisors,” says Mike Tasker, a WorkSafeBC occupational safety officer based in Prince George, and one of the program’s originators. “So we put together the course based on our experience as supervisors, and best practices for what works in safety management.”
Organized into nine modules, the course can take seven to eight hours to complete and also allows you to select the topics you want to explore and proceed at your own pace. It contains over 60 video clips and templates of forms, checklists, and other WorkSafeBC safety resources to download.
“A large percentage of injuries within certain sectors of the tourism industry, such as hotels and ski hills, are musculoskeletal injuries,” says Trina Wright, Program Manager, Industry Health and Safety for go2, the B.C. tourism industry’s HR organization and COR certifying partner. “The course content regarding these injuries can help supervisors identify the causes of injury and show them how to implement programs to decrease the likelihood of MSI injury.” (WCxKit)
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
A British firm continued to expose workers to dangerous asbestos-containing materials despite advice from the local council, according to a report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
HSE issued a prohibition notice banning entry to two warehouses run by local storage firm, Rotherham Bonding Company, Ltd, were employees removed from danger.(WCxKit)
Rotherham Magistrates' Court heard the council bought the warehouses in Oldgate Lane from Fosters of Thrybergh, Ltd., and arranged for a professional asbestos survey before demolishing them. In the meantime Rotherham Bonding Company, which ran the warehouses, was using staff from its sister company, Fosters of Thrybergh, to empty them of their stock of wine and spirits.
The court heard Rotherham Council's surveyor spotted large amounts of damaged asbestos-containing materials on the floors where forklift trucks were operating. He advised employees and the council of his findings. The council notified both Rotherham Bonding Company and Fosters of Thrybergh about the presence of asbestos but nothing was done and work was allowed to continue.
HSE was informed and visited the site. It immediately issued the Prohibition Notice preventing entry into the buildings and later took samples which showed white and brown asbestos were present. As a result a full survey was carried out and 18 of 20 samples were found to contain significant concentrations of asbestos(WCxKit)
Fosters of Thrybergh, Ltd, pleaded guilty to two charges under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and was fined £5,500 ($9,000) with £6,250 ($10,000) toward costs.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Cal/OSHA issued 11 citations totaling $371,250 to Baxter Healthcare Corporation dba Baxter Bioscience recently for deliberate and willful workplace safety violations which resulted in the death of one of their technicians and serious injury of two others.
According to Cal/OSHA, the violations included four willful citations, indicating intentional violation or knowledge of a violation. Baxter has 15 business days to appeal or pay the citations.(WCxKit)
Baxter technician Henry Astilla, 33, collapsed when he entered a seven foot deep, 6,000-liter tank in which nitrogen gas was being bubbled through plasma as part of a protein extraction process. Air in the tank was displaced by the nitrogen resulting in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere in the tank. Cal/OSHA regulations require employers to have special protective procedures in place prior to the entrance by employees into these types of confined spaces. In this case, the employer had not tested the atmosphere prior to entrance to insure there was sufficient oxygen, which led to Astilla's death.
Cal OSHA's investigation further revealed that when Astilla was discovered, a supervisor ordered two other employees to enter the tank and retrieve him, without testing the atmosphere of the tank or providing proper equipment and other safeguards necessary for a safe rescue. As a result, Astilla died and the two employees sent to retrieve him were seriously injured. One remains hospitalized.
"The hazards of working in confined spaces are well documented and this is a classic example of the kind of injury that occurs when employers fail to adequately protect their employees," said Cal/OSHA Chief Ellen Widess. "When confined space operations are not properly planned, it is unfortunately common for other employees to be injured or killed while attempting impromptu rescue of the initial victim."
Cal/OSHA determined Baxter's confined space program failed to comply with all requirements, including appropriate atmospheric testing, protective equipment as well as rescue equipment and procedures.
Baxter Bioscience is a multi-national pharmaceutical company with a Los Angeles plant located in Atwater Village. The facility is the largest of its kind in the nation, utilizing advanced technology to produce plasma proteins.(WCxKit)
The citations Cal/OSHA issued included one classified as general and 10 classified as serious, four of which were classified as willful. Willful classifications are issued when an employer either commits an intentional violation or is aware that it violates a safety law, or when an employer is aware that an unsafe or hazardous condition exists and makes no reasonable effort to eliminate the hazard.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Exposure to solvents by medical laboratory workers may be a health risk according to a new study from the University of Otago, Wellington, published in The Journal of Rheumatology.
“Our study of 341 medical laboratory workers indicates they are more likely to develop a condition called Raynaud’s phenomenon, if they are exposed to solvents such as toluene or xylene. This raises concerns they could then have further serious health complications later in life,” said lead researcher Gordon Purdie.(WCxKit)
This is the first research to show an occupational health hazard involving solvent use and Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP). Other studies overseas have shown similar solvent associations, but not with people exposed to solvents at work.
Raynaud’s phenomenon is vasoconstriction, or the narrowing of blood vessels in the hands and other extremities, and is characterized by pain, color changes and tautness or fullness of the fingers or toes. Raynaud’s phenomenon usually only occurs in cold conditions. For some people it may be a symptom or precursor of scleroderma, a rare connective tissue disease affecting multiple systems in the body and mainly amongst women.
The mainly female laboratory workers (79 percent) who used solvents in this study had higher rates of severe RP. Those who had worked with xylene or toluene doubled their risk of developing severe RP. It appears that lab workers who worked with acetone or chlorinated solvents, combined with xylene or toluene, also doubled their risk of developing RP. Risk of developing severe RP was even greater, in fact, nine times.
“I am concerned that 75 percent of those who worked with xylene or toluene handled wet sample slides without gloves. The majority had done so daily for over a decade,” Purdie said. “Absorption through the skin is a classic way for solvents to have a negative impact on health.” He said the study also found no difference in severe RP rates between the general population and those lab workers who had not used solvents in their work. He said this study highlights the need to minimize exposure and be careful in handling solvents in medical laboratories and other workplaces.(WCxKit)
Co-author and senior lecturer in Rheumatology at the University of Otago, Wellington, Dr Andrew Harrison, presented the study at the Australian Rheumatology Association Scientific Meeting in Brisbane. He said, “This is the first study to demonstrate a link between laboratory worker solvent exposure and symptoms of autoimmune connective tissue disease and has important implications for workplace health and safety.”
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Let me first point out this article is written from the Claims Adjuster’s point of view. This will point out a disturbing new trend in the world of insurance where the employer is not being honest about injury details or other information surrounding the injury. Not all of you will fall in to this category, but some unknowingly may. So take that in to consideration, and I hope it impacts you to change the way losses are handled.
Over the years I have investigated workers compensation losses and have heard bizarre stories of personal injury and the circumstances surrounding accidents. If someone asks me if I have seen everything in workers comp, I have to answer an emphatic no Chances are a bigger and more unbelievable instance has yet to cross my desk, and it will be my job as the adjuster to determine what happened. For those employers without the luxury of video surveillance, I have to go by witness accounts ( if there are any) and attempt to piece the circumstances of the injury together.
Sometimes this is a difficult task. Given the job environment in recent years, I have noticed a new trend where employers are being dishonest with me about the details of an injury. This is probably happening for many reasons, but in any case it is never acceptable nor helpful. The carrier is on your side and needs to hear the truth. Below I discuss a few questions I ask on claims where I have heard questionable responses in the past.
1. What do you know about the injury details?
Every employer has a designated person to call a claim in to the carrier. This person’s name is at the bottom of the report. The first phone call I make after getting the claim is to this person. Today, we will call her Sally. I call Sally and ask her if this is all that is known about the injury. She says yes, and that all details are included in the injury report she completed.
That may be correct, but I know the report is missing information. So I rephrase the question about the exact timeline of events. Who was injured? Did the worker tell someone? Did the worker go to the clinic alone or did someone drive? Do you know about any prior injuries to the claimant’s knee ( for example)? Keep in mind one and two word answers do not assist in creating my report. If you the employer do not know the particulars about the injury then be clear on that at the outset. I will attempt to find someone who is. Perhaps this will be a floor supervisor, field manager, or you can direct me to the appropriate person.
2. Are there any witnesses?
I can name countless times where an employer reports to me there are no witnesses to an injury. Then I interview the claimant who provides several names as witnesses. Next, I talk to those individuals and ask about their account of events, and more times than not they have seen something or arrived shortly after the accident after hearing the claimant’s calls for help. If there are witnesses, I will learn about it from the claimant and others interviewed.
Perhaps the employer did not ask about witnesses at the time of reporting and was not aware of any. Maybe the internal injury questionnaire does not have the space to write witness names no witnesses. In some cases, the employer may intend for the claim to sound less substantial.
Whatever the case may be, if there are known witnesses, name them. The employer should know the employee will be ready to list as many witnesses as they can remember to substantiate the claim. In the end, finding out there are witnesses makes us question the validity of the employer not the claimant. It makes us question you. And in the case where the employer’s internal report does not have a space for witnesses, that should be immediately added as it will help in any claims going forward.
3. Why was the claim not called in a timely manner?
Sometimes I get a claim with an injury date months earlier or even a year. Maybe this is an error. But if someone approaches you as an employer and reports being hurt, a claim should be immediately filed. Do not wait and see if they are actually injured or not. Do not wait to see if they file it under personal insurance to avoid a WC claim. Do not let it sit on a desk for 3 months or more. Call in the claim.
The employer needs to call it in because I will question the claimants about dates. If the claimant reports telling the boss on that date a year ago then again four more times. And that was all before the paperwork is filed, then that is not going to behoove you to the carrier. In fact, the employee also will be displeased , and it is going to make them that less motivated to return to work in the first place.
Maybe the report was completed on the injury date and was sent to your agent or broker. That works well, if the agent calls the claim in to us. Agents receive a lot of paperwork from their clients. They do not know the priority of addressing various documents. Maybe the claim was sent to the wrong agent. Or the wrong person at the agency got your fax, and there was no confirmation call to the carrier. Just call it in, and if it is sent to your agent, follow up with them. The sooner the claim reaches the carrier the better.
4. Do you know of any outside activities the claimant is involved in?
I like to ask employers this question to see how much they know about their employees. In one case, an employer revealed the injured worker helped coach his son’s soccer league. So I conducted some surveillance and recorded the claimant coaching and standing for long periods of time on the sidelines coaching. That kind of tip proves very helpful in a case and investigation. However, if you as an employer cannot be sure about a tip, then tell us. Even a lead can be helpful, because we can investigate the tip. The bottom line is we trust what the employer tells us as we do not know the claimants at all, so answering questions in the most honest and complete way is critical to the success of our investigation.
5. Were the guards in place?
For those employers with moving machinery, just admit if the guard was off at the time of injury. The employee is going to tell us either way. The guard is there to protect workers, so the worker is fully aware if it is missing. Maybe this leads to a design flaw that our subrogation department can investigate so we can recoup claims dollars spent on this injury.
I know a lot of employers remove or modify machine guards in order to be more productive or in order to have the machine fit whatever kind of material you are working on for your client. Please only have those machines do what they are supposed to do. Modifying the guards can lead to very serious injury, and the costs associated with that loss are far more than any profit you can attain by changing the functionality of machinery. Not to mention the potential impact it has on the life of the worker who may lose a finger or hand, or worse. I have seen a lot of severe injuries from this. And if you do not think it will happen to you as an employer, the only advice I can give you is that every person I talk to that had this type of injury involving a guard removal or modification told me the same thing: “I have done it like that a million times before and never had any problems until now.”
6. Did you complete an internal accident report and investigation?
As an employer if you have internal reporting or accident investigations then I commend you. You are on the way to becoming more proactive at handling losses. We discuss frequently about reporting, trends, and identifying injury areas.. If you are not internally reporting, then that is okay also. Although, the employer will find it beneficial to do so in the end.
For employers who do not do any type of reporting, please do not tell me you do and then provide me nothing. I will want to see that report to get its information, and I will keep asking for it to put it in my file. If you did not do one, just tell me you do not have one. I will keep calling and emailing until the employer finally tells me there is not an internal report. This does not assist in creating my report. (WCxKit)
.
Summary
In the world of workplace injuries a lot of people on the outside think that the carrier has to worry only about the injured worker’s honesty. Sadly the carrier has more to be concerned with in the claim. It is a combination of the two other parties involved in the claim. I have had cases where the claimant has not been honest. I have had claims where the employer has not been honest. In any case, the truth will prevail. If all parties are honest in the beginning, it makes handling the claim that much easier for everyone involved.
Contributed to Work Comp Roundup by an Ajuster who wishes to remain anonymous however he works for a major carrier.
Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing, publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Hazardous industry experts from the world’s largest organization for health and safety professionals have recently played a part in improving submarine safety, according to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.
(IOSH) Hazardous Industries Group (HIG) worked together with the Submarine Enterprise on a Peer Review, to improve the safety of submariners who work with nuclear energy, chemicals and other major hazards on a daily basis. (WCxKit)
The Peer Review Implementation Team made use of HIG’s experience of Peer Review to develop a process that helped enhance safety culture. Its aim was to further reduce risks to individuals and prevent the possible degradation of layers of protection upon which submarine safety depends.
This arose out of IOSH HIG’s overall peer review project, which is aimed at developing teams of professionals to go into each other’s companies and share best practices, helping to change and develop safety strategy.
Royal Navy Commander Mark Westwood and Dave Mason, IOSH HIG committee member, worked collaboratively to encourage the highest standards of safety across the Submarine Enterprise.
Mason, who is also a founding member of IOSH HIG Peer Review project, said, “The key to our Peer Review process is to define what excellence looks like, to engage leaders in ‘walking the talk,’ to observe what people really do and to identify an organization’s opportunity for strategic development of safety.
“Submariners have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. So the fact that this process has been integrated into such a diverse and complex industry shows how flexible and powerful a tool it is.”
Mason was invited to work with the Submarine Enterprise to develop the Peer Review process, in a bid to help enhance its safety culture and maintain high standards of safety.(WCxKit)
The companies involved included Ministry of Defence (MoD) Defence Equipment and Support, Royal Navy – Navy Command, Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Plc, Babcock Marine, Rolls Royce and BAE Systems Submarine Solutions – all of whom agreed to exchange information, encourage communication, and emulate each other’s best practices.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Stuart Colburn
Stuart Colburn, an attorney for Downs
Stanford recently shared a blog regarding a November 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
report that described prescription painkiller abuse as “a public health epidemic.”
Colburn noted the CDC feels that changing the the way prescription painkillers are prescribed would reduce misuse, abuse and overdose but still allow access to safe, effective treatment.(WCxKit)
Colburn frankly citizens the workers compensation system as contributing to these addictions and indirectly by contributing to lost time and injuries “attributable to decreased alertness and other ill effects of working while abusing prescription drugs.”
Colburn continues, “America's prescription drug abuse (PDA) problem is not nearly as well known as our War on Drugs. No war has been declared and yet American lives are being lost. The statistics are well known. American citizens make up 4 percent of the world's population. Yet, we consume 66 percent of the world's illegal drugs.”
His blog continues to site fascinating drug statistics not only from the CDC but also the U.S. Military, various states and many others. It is well worth a read.
Brian J. Caveney
He concludes that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010 has changed much for the workers compensation industry including The United States Department of Health and Human Services adding eight substances to its Report on Carcinogens.
“Formaldehyde and aristocholic acids are now listed as known human carcinogens, and six other substances-captafol, cobalt-tungsten carbide, inhalable glass wool fibers, onitrotoluene, ridelliine, and styrene-are now considered as reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens. This brings the total to 240 identified substances in the listings demanding thoughtful approaches to minimize exposure to workers,” Caveney wrote.
He also said the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan has had great affect on the WC industry. “Readers of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (LexisNexis) can refer to Chapter 44 for recent updates on the physics of radiation contamination and possible human health effects of exposure,” he wrote.
For WC matters regarding low back claims, Caveney directs readers to the updated Chapter 15 in Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (LexisNexis. And, lastly, he noted 2011 is the 30th anniversary of the identification of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). “The infection has transcended its original death sentence upon diagnosis to a chronic disease state when adequately treated with the panoply of various treatment options these days. Once widespread fears of transmission in a host of occupational situations has thankfully now been limited to mostly preventable scenarios. Chapter 46 of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (LexisNexis) reflects these advances,” he wrote.
To read more, follow the above link to Caveney’s article.
She cites physician Nortin M. Hadler, MD new book
Rethinking Aging: Growing Old and Living Well in an Overtreated Society. “Dr. Hadler continues his no-holds-barred approach, warning that the Baby Boomer Generation and Generations X and Y hold unrealistic notions about defying the aging process with medical technology, thereby making them more susceptible for ‘medicalization and overtreatment,’ “ she wrote.
Kobayashi notes that marketing has become “sophisticated and pervasive in playing off people’s fears about health and longevity. … It’s no secret that Dr. Hadler has had it with insurance companies and even the AMA Guides for that matter. He once argued that attempts to adhere to the AMA Guides to quantify impairment were, in his opinion, ‘an unappealing, if not Orwellian, exercise, and not just for musculoskeletal diseases but for all diseases.’ “(WCxKit)
Read more of Kobayashi’s research and opinion by following the link above. She concludes, “Here, in our world of workers’ compensation, we can’t deny the fact that workers’ compensation medical costs are soaring. Whether you’re an injured worker, attorney, judge, or claims adjuster, we need to make the right choices about medical care, to educate ourselves, and to stop being conditioned into believing that medical treatment can always help/save us.”
Author Rebecca Shafer
, JD, President of Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing. She is the author of the #1 selling book on cost containment, Manage Your Workers Compensation: Reduce Costs 20-50% www.WCManual.com.
Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
Posted in
