It was inevitable, I suppose. First, we saw the development of the mobile app “Bang a Friend”, a program that allowed for the rapid deployment of sexually transmitted diseases amongst mutual acquaintances. It worked by allowing a person to anonymously “tag” a person they presumably would like to “bang”. If that person tagged them back…
Fired Up by Flatulence
It could have been so much worse. 90 workers were toiling in the facility when it happened. The poorly ventilated building experienced a build up of explosive gas, which combusted unexpectedly. No one is sure why, but they believe one of the workers touched off a static discharge, causing the conflagration. The building was damaged,…
The Looming $20 Billion MSA Train Wreck: Welcome Aboard
There is a $20 Billion calamity on the tracks ahead, and no one seems to care. As this train hurtles ever closer to its inevitable demise, the passengers ride oblivious, unaware that the torturous path that led them there; a path that was supposed to protect them, has a serious flaw in its design. A…
The Longest 10 Seconds of Your Life
A story out of Washington State last week reminds us that life is precious, miracles do happen, and lock out tag out was invented for a reason. A man who had climbed inside a commercial wood chipper to clear a blockage was pulled through the machine when a co-worker turned it back on – and…
The Worst Job Ever by Any Measure
I am working on some very significant article projects at the moment. Really groundbreaking stuff. From revelations on MSA’s to groundbreaking thoughts on disability avoidance, I have some very useful articles in the works. Unfortunately for you, this isn’t one of them. I have been laid out sick this week, in a highly unusual second…
New Study Will Change Office Nuclear Detonation Contingency Plans
A new study released last week will likely cause major disruption to employers across the country, as they scramble to revise and implement dramatically new emergency plans in the event of a nuclear detonation. The research, conducted by people who obviously had nothing better to do with their time, determined that the best course of…
Bar Hopping with Lawyers for Children
As a point of clarification, no lawyers will be bar hopping for children. There will be lawyers, and there will be bar hopping, but the purpose will be “for the children” rather than “for” the children. Anything else would be plain creepy. This March the American Bar Association is holding its mid-winter workers’ compensation conference…
Will New York Workers' Comp Reform Reflect Just One Side of the Village?
It is widely known that New York has one of the most expensive, yet least efficient workers’ compensation systems in the nation. That it fails to provide adequate care for injured workers while simultaneously burdening employers with excessive costs is a commonly known reality. The administration of Governor Andrew Cuomo has been vocal about overhauling…
Pay No Attention To My Psychotic Personality
I’ll admit it. I have a good sense of humor. People tell me I am funny. I’ve always taken it as a compliment. Until now. Turns out it just means I am a crazy bastard. Science has proven that now. Some stupid study just published in the British Journal of Psychiatry has determined that comedians…
Louisiana's Ounce of Prevention; California's Pound of Cure
I am traveling this week to Louisiana, where I will be the Keynote Speaker Thursday at the 14th Annual Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference. While any conference that has both the word “Educational” in the title and me on the agenda seems to have conflicting objectives, it appears the organizers have done a good job…