I wrote earlier this week about a fall I took in front of my hotel while attending the 2015 RIMS Conference in New Orleans. Fortunately I do not believe I sustained any significant injury in that fall, and as indicated wouldn’t file a claim anyway. Nevertheless, the knowledge that protections are available to me should…
Taking a Header at RIMSfest
It certainly wasn’t what I anticipated writing about while here in New Orleans attending RIMS 2015. But again, it wasn’t something I had planned to encounter, even though the thousands of people at this largest annual international risk conference gather expressly because something like it might. I absolutely did not expect to find myself lying…
3,000,000 Reads and Off to RIMSfest
Another milestone in a momentous week, and I again pause to express thanks while simultaneously packing my bags. Last week, on or about the 19th of April, the cumulative article reads for this 45 month old blog surpassed 3 million, just in time for the annual RIMSfest Conference that looms before us. Ok, they don’t…
Be Glad This Doctor Isn't In Your Network
There is something to be said for the United Kingdom’s Single payer socialized medicine system. It is over there and not here, and that is something to be thankful for. Also, it can really deliver a wallop when it comes to providing innovative care. I guess that is two things to be said about it.…
Walking the Walk: Taking Courage – Managing Pain Doesn't Always Mean Masking It
There is a quiet revolution taking place in the realm of pain management; one that is changing lives and resulting in an incredible rate of recovery and return for those willing to pass through its sphere. One of its leaders and champions, an unassuming high school graduate, likely knows more about living with pain than…
Send In The Clowns; Circus Workers Injured in Protest Melee
Hundreds of circus spectators got a bigger show than they bargained for last Friday night, when a group of animal rights protestors pushed their way in under the big top and received a thrashing from a gaggle of clowns. It happened in San Bernardino, CA, and ended with two circus employees being injured, as well…
Why We Should Stop Accommodating The Disabled
I'm tired of accommodating the disabled. I don't think we should do it anymore. The entire exercise is swathed in negativity. In accommodation today, we label people as incapable of doing certain things, and set about to adjust the environment around them so that they can still “get by”, forever dependent on society's willingness to…
Workplace Harassment Avoidance Lesson One: Don't Be Drawn Naked on a Construction Site If You Want to Avoid Issues
It is one of the more bizarre harassment stories to cross the Cluttered Desk in quite some time. A Courthouse News story carried in our newsletter yesterday morning tells of a man experiencing a case of same sex harassment on a construction site. Apparently another man on the job site started making sexual advances towards…
Workers' Comp is Identical Everywhere, Except Where it is Completely Different
I had an interesting conversation this week with the chairman of a state workers’ compensation commission while at the IAIABC Spring Forum in Myrtle Beach, SC. He was talking about how he came into the position, and some of the things he did to prepare for this challenging role. He made, what I believe to…
We Need a Common Language in Workers' Comp
We have a communication issue in the workers’ compensation industry. It is a problem driven by a language barrier, an obstacle that prevents us from sharing information and improving outcomes. It is not a language issue as you would normally think of one, either. It is not English vs. Spanish, a different use of acronyms…