Today we are launching the second of two surveys exploring the access and use of social media within the workers' compensation industry. We ask all workers' compensation professionals to take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire. This survey is an in depth analysis created in part from the results of the brief initial survey…
Kicking the Office Bully Down the Stairs
A recent article in Insurance Journal tells us that “Workplace Bullying” may be the next great frontier of employer liability challenges in our country, and they may be right. Numerous states are considering legislation that would allow employees to sue for damages from an abusive workplace environment, including lost wages, benefits and medical expenses. It…
The Dark Side of Shark Wrestling Under Stress
Today we tell a tale that, at the outset, seems so pedestrian, so mundane, that it hardly even bears mentioning. It is a story of a man who physically grabbed a shark in the water off an Australian beach, dragged it away from nearby children, and lost his job in the UK as a result.…
The Homicidal Debate Over Suicide By Cop
There is a difference between homicide and criminal homicide. Homicide, it turns out, is defined as “death by the violent or reckless act of another”. While most of us think of homicide as an inherently criminal act, it appears not to be the case. Criminal homicide must include either the intent to kill or negligent…
I've Fallen, and I Don't Know Why!!
An article that appeared in our blogwire yesterday tells us of a court case in Alabama that resulted in an interesting determination. It appears that if the cause of a fall is unknown, the claim is not valid. The court found that injuries sustained in a fall were not compensable because an employee could not…
Raiding the Larder: New York's Shameful Workers Comp Cash Grab
It is as predictable as time itself. A state fund providing workers’ compensation insurance accumulates a significant cash surplus. Then politicians who see the money as a free resource to solve problems they are incapable of addressing try to take it. It happened recently in Colorado, although Pinnacol Assurance, the state fund there, successfully repelled…
Let's Face It, the Lion Had to Die
A very tragic tale out of California this morning tells us an animal park intern with only a few weeks on the job was killed yesterday by a lion in her care. 24 year old Dianna Hanson had entered the cage of the male African Lion, Cous Cous, by herself when she was badly mauled…
Opioid Paper Training for the IAIABC
A nervous and trepidatious world eagerly awaits the pending release of the comprehensive paper on opioid use from the Executive Committee (EC) of the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC). While we wait, I thought I would make a few suggestions to “ease the tension” and make the release the middling success…
My Brain on Drugs and Enemas
My brain has been saturated with drugs the last couple weeks, and not in a fun way. It has been inundated with information and discussions on opioids (and lack of Regulator leadership thereof), prescription abuse, repackaged drugs and physician dispensing. I even attended a Physicians Dispensing Summit, where, despite its promising name, not a single…
Greater Claim Costs. Longer Injury Durations. Dispensing Physician Heal Thyself.
#PDSummit -Well, I am flying back from the Physician Dispensing Summit in Boston, and what a worthwhile trip it was. We already knew that physicians dispensing repackaged drugs drove prescription costs up. We knew that the battle to stop this practice has been long and hard. And we suspected claims that they improved care and…