Truth be told, I wanted to title this article “Getting High with State Fund CEO’s”, but as best as I could tell, only one state fund CEO showed up to this event. Doesn’t seem fair to stick one poor schmo with that reputation. Nevertheless, it was a great way to start a conference. Sunday morning,…
Knocking Politicians Goofy in Oklahoma Workers Comp Case
I must say, politicians in Oklahoma are giving me some very juicy quotes of late. Last week I got to opine on a gun law that was apparently needed in that state because a wild turkey scared a state Senator. This week I learned of interesting testimony a state representative provided while attempting to get…
After Uno's and Winning Night at Wrigley Field, Maciorowski Just Might be my Favorite
We have worked closely for a number of years with a group called the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN). We have been an active supporter of their seminars, and they have been a tremendous resource for our WorkCompResearch system and its subscribers. The NWCDN is a group of experienced lawyers and law firms forming…
Canning Employees the Dilbert Way – My Worst Termination Ever
Recent comments on LinkedIn, in response to the Oklahoma gun law article I wrote last week, reminded me of an event from my own past. One of the comments made was related to having to make sure employers had good policies in place when it came to firing – the employee, not the weapon. When…
A Little Hair of the Dog X-ray That Bit You…..
The doctor looked at the X-ray his patient, who had been injured in a car accident, had provided. He did what good doctors should do. He explained the X-ray, and the various bones it showed. He showed her the hip joint, and asked several questions about her injury. But the doctor also did a couple…
Oklahoma’s Open Carry Handgun Law – Bad for Turkeys, Challenging for Employers?
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin recently signed into law SB 1733, a bill designed to allow licensed gun owners to “open carry” their weapons in the state. With that action Oklahoma becomes the 25th state to allow its citizens to carry weapons openly. Personally I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, and as a…
When Killing Is Ruled In the Course and Scope of Employment
The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled today that a deputy sheriff who killed a man in the line of duty was not entitled to workers' compensation benefits, because he essentially did what he was trained to do, and as such, it was a known risk of the job. Spartanburg County deputy sheriff Brandon Bentley killed…
Using Under Qualified Immigrants To Improve Workplace Safety
A newly announced study in Canada produced some interesting results, determining that people who had recently immigrated to that country, and were over qualified for the jobs they held, were up to five times as likely to be injured on the job. Even after the researchers factored in the physical job demands of specific positions,…
Probably Thought They Said Bear Claws – Memphis Police Recruits File Injury Claims En Masse over Bear Crawl Exercise
Recently all 66 recruits at the Memphis Police Training Academy – 100% of the class – filed claims for on the job injuries after undergoing a “bear crawl” exercise in temperatures approaching 100 degrees. Apparently the claims started with just 10 recruits, but ultimately all of the recruits filed injury claims resulting from the exercise.…
Looking for the Common Sense – Lifeguard Who Saves Life Fired While Teacher Comparing Student to Missing Link on Facebook Isn’t
Sometimes it feels as if the whole world is off its axis, and that logic, decency and common sense fell off the planet on the last turn. I was reading my morning paper today and a couple different stories caught my eye. One was about a lifeguard here in Florida who helped to save a…