[Insert Empty Policy Here] In an article published last week in Risk & Insurance, Mark Walls commended the regulators at the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) for their bold leadership in the development of model opioid rules that they could recommend to their members, helping to curb the burgeoning prescription drug…
Preliminary Workers' Comp Social Media Survey Results Revealed
As many of you likely know, we recently concluded what was the first phase in a two part effort to survey the access and application of social media within workers' comp. It is the most comprehensive look ever performed for this topic in our industry. The first survey was deliberately short, and was designed to…
This Year in Workers Comp, The Oklahoma Bowl is the One to Watch
Get your popcorn, as this years featured contest for workers’ compensation reform promises to be a doozy. The Oklahoma legislature is coming back to town, and workers’ compensation seems to be a high priority on its list of things to fix (again). Last year Oklahoma garnered a great deal of attention by seriously considering, and…
HR Will Get a Banging Headache From This App
I normally do not write about frilly, silly, romantic things, but will make an exception for this. The relentless march of technology, it seems, is fast retooling the human experience, and the realm of intimate mate selection is no exception. Now there is word that an app is coming that should keep the folks in…
Will Workers Comp be a Casualty of Technology?
First there was outsourcing and offshoring. Now there is something I am calling Autosourcing. Companies and production are returning to the US, but the jobs are not returning with them. Those jobs are being taken by technology. Improved computers, software systems, cloud computing and robotics have made unprecedented strides in recent years. Experts now largely…
Where Lives and Labor are Cheap, the Cost to Humanity is High
Saturday 7 garment workers in Bangladesh were killed when a fire raced through the facility where they worked. Officials are investigating accusations that the only emergency exit was locked. Just two months ago, 112 Bangladesh garment workers were killed in another factory blaze. The doors there were locked as well. Since 2005, more than 600…
Injuring Your Trainer in the Year of Prevention, Health and Wellness
We announced this year that we were adding Lynne Strasser, a fitness focused blogger, to the Workers' Comp Blogwire as part of declaring 2013 the “Year of Prevention, Health and Wellness”. We are committed to providing useful information this year for individuals and their employers that will make for a healthier, fit and less injury…
When An Employer is Forced to Backtrack on Flatulence
This was in the news a couple weeks ago, but I just have not had time to get to it. I probably should just let it go, but ultimately, in the end I couldn't let this pass. I tried to hold it in, but I can't. I am just going to have to let one…
Cat Loving Genius Outsources His Own Job
I have to tip my hat to genius when I read about it, even if that genius is not of the highest moral fiber. This is one such case. A software company recently discovered that a home based programmer they employed at a six figure salary had hired someone in China to do his job…
Southwest Drink Coupon Class Action Sure Leaves a Big Bar Bill
I cannot believe my good fortune. The potential windfall coming my way could change my life, and I apparently owe this unexpected mana from heaven to the selfless commitment of a dedicated legal team whom I have never met, yet without my knowledge has worked diligently on my behalf. The fact that this is part…