A Time of Thanks, A Time of Reflection

Tomorrow millions of people will sit down with family and friends, and gorge themselves on turkey, stuffing, potatoes, more stuffing, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, bread, again with the stuffing, and pumpkin pie (which, if served correctly will have so much whipped cream on it as to render it completely unrecognizable). It will be an…

What We Need Is a Car That Slaps You Silly

Having just successfully passed my 56th birthday, I recognize that I am gradually, and quite comfortably, transitioning to the role of easily annoyed old fart. Things that used to irritate me internally are now much more easy to celebrate in public view, as my ability to share that irritation with those around me has improved…

Sharing Shafety In The Sheep Shearing Shed

We are constantly reminded that workplace accidents can happen anywhere, and people can be injured doing obscure jobs we never even think about. I was reminded of that this morning when a story out of New Zealand crossed my Cluttered Desk. According to Radio New Zealand, WorkSafe, New Zealand’s workplace health and safety regulator, has…

It Isn't About Politics, It Is About Lives

We’ve been talking a great deal about the “National Conversation” on workers’ compensation of late. Various groups are taking up the responsibility of guiding and contributing to the discussion; from the Workers’ Compensation Summit to the IAIABC, SAWCA, private companies, other interested groups and beyond. It is all an effort to identify and correct deficiencies…

How Much Support Will Injured Snowflakes Need?

I was at the CompLaude Awards & Gala last week, listening to the opening speaker, Bill Zachry. Mr. Zachry is the recently retired Group VP of Risk Management for Safeway and Albertsons grocery stores. Still active in the industry, he is currently a board member for the State Fund in California. It was an excellent…

Hobbling My Way to CompLaude

I probably got too close to someone’s Voodoo doll while I was in Salem, Oregon this week. I arrived Tuesday afternoon in preparation of delivering the Keynote presentation at the annual Oregon Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference Wednesday morning. While I felt fine when I arrived, it was while I was returning to my hotel room…