On November 28, 2008, Mark Walls sat down at his computer and created a group on LinkedIn which would eventually come to be known as the Work Comp Analysis Group. Mark did not know it that day, but he was opening an entirely new front in the information revolution that has shaped our industry over…
Death By Cooking at Bumble Bee Tuna Facility
You wonder how it could happen. Thursday a 62-year-old employee was found cooked to death at a California plant used for tuna maker Bumble Bee Foods. Jose Melena was found just before 7 a.m. at the plant located in Santa Fe Springs, CA. He was found inside what is known as a “steamer machine. At…
Squirrel Loving Moron Displaces Dozens, Gives Firefighter Broken Toe
The fire was intense. Multiple apartments were burned or water damaged. Dozens of people were displaced from their homes, and a firefighter broke a toe while fighting the blaze. Investigators say the fire destroyed a Holland Township, Michigan apartment building Wednesday afternoon. And the cause? A man with a propane torch in a third floor…
He Must Have Thought They Said "Men Excite Us"
Just when we thought the Meningitis scare couldn't get any worse, Florida's Governor Rick Scott proves otherwise. A steroid used to treat back pain has been discovered to have been contaminated with fungal meningitis, causing a nationwide panic among those who administered and received the shots. As many as 13,000 people have been exposed. The…
On Death and Flying
The list of the top ten most deadly jobs for 2011 is out, and once again on the list, weighing in at number 3, are pilots and flight engineers. Given the extraordinary safety record of commercial flights, this is a bit of a surprise. I am sure we overlook many of the most dangerous segments…
Rugby Player Who Drops a Ball on the Job is One Tough Cookie
Paul Wood is a British rugby league player, and he is one tough dude. Wood was playing for the Warrington Wolves against Leeds Rhinos in the Super League Grand Final in Manchester on Saturday, when he lost a testicle after a collision one minute into the second half of the game. He played the rest…
At Least Detroit Sewage Horsies Would Be Properly Shod
The city of Detroit is notoriously bankrupt. They tear down vacant homes every week. They are turning off city lights. Their police are passing out flyers calling the city a war zone and warning people that they “enter at their own risk”. But despite all this, their water and sewage department still employs a horseshoer.…
On Monitoring Prescriptions, We Were Just Kidding
We know that Florida established a much needed Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, but left it unfunded and in danger of collapse. We know that the Florida legislature, in addition to not allowing state funds to be used, expressly prohibited pharmaceutical companies from contributing, despite the offer of $1 Million from the makers of Oxycontin for…
The Extraordinary Choice Between Right and Happy
I was helping my wife change the sheets recently when we got into a brief disagreement over a minor item. It was one of those critically important discussions involving what corner of the fitted sheet goes on which corner of the bed. You see, king size mattresses aren’t perfectly square, and if you start with…
Meningitis Scare Gives Workers Comp Back Pain Sufferers Bigger Concern
An outbreak of aspergillus meningitis that has sickened 30 and killed 5 people has been linked to spinal steroid injections, a common treatment for back pain. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reported that a vial of the steroid, called methylprednisolone acetate, was found to contain fungus. Most of the cases, and 3 deaths,…