A lawsuit has been filed by the family of a Publix deli worker alleging he died of COVID because the Florida based company prohibited employees from wearing masks during the early days of the pandemic. The suit claims the deceased employee was not allowed to wear a mask because “Publix feared that mask-wearing employees would frighten customers.”…
Grading Workers' Comp on The Pivot or a Curve
The virtual All Committee Conference of the Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators (SAWCA) concluded yesterday after two full days of discussions over all things workers’ comp. One of the things discussed in two of the sessions was the concept of “grading” the industry on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the speakers gave the…
Tell Me I'm Wrong. The Workers' Comp Claim Process Went Virtual Long Before COVID
I was on a panel yesterday as part of the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN) Annual Conference. We were discussing life now and in the future in the “virtual world.” At one point the topic turned to the challenges of claims management in a virtual environment. My fellow panelists made great comments about having…
Kids' Chance is a Family That Changes Lives
November 9-13 is Kids’ Chance Awareness Week. This article, originally published April 17, 2016, highlights the importance of this terrific organization. To learn more about Kids’ Chance, go to https://www.kidschance.org. _______________________________________ I spent last Friday and Saturday in Little Rock, Arkansas, attending the annual convention of Kids’ Chance, an organization that provides scholarships and secondary…
Slippery Protection for Rioters on the Job
We get a tremendous number of press releases and announcements from a variety of companies; all hoping to catch the eye of an editor and gain some publicity for their cause or product. Many of these releases have nothing to do with the workers’ compensation industry. It just seems we’ve landed on mail lists as…
The NWCDN Conference and the Benefits of a Virtual World
The planning and work have been intense. Multiple stages running simultaneous events. State and regional workers’ compensation updates. Excellent speakers. Even a series of video shorts discussing what industry experts have learned from COVID. The National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN) Annual Conference will in many ways be bigger than ever before, and it won’t have a…