From Bob's Cluttered Desk

In January of this year, I had lab work performed as part of a follow-up to a physical exam. It was nothing out of the ordinary and represented a series of blood tests ordered by my doctor. I had the tests, attended my doctor’s follow-up appointment and that was that. I did not think much…

We’ve written it before. A manure pit death is a crappy way to die. In fact, we have discussed such an event two times prior in this blog. Searching our news system, you will find the word “manure” appears in 4 Cluttered Desk articles over the years. I know, I thought it would be more…

It has been a while since a story hit the Cluttered Desk that so aligns with the reputation and mission of this blog. After all, we cut our teeth here talking about the things others just didn’t have the temerity to address. Either that or those others are just a lot smarter than I am.…

No one ever said dealing with John Q. Public was easy. And there are no guarantees that John Public will get what they want, nor be happy with the results. But when Mr. Public (or Ms., even though this specific incident involves a Mr.) threatens to kill everyone in the room, it may be a…

This is a story of commitment. Of caring. Of respect. It is a story that embraces and celebrates a future, while remembering and honoring the past. And most importantly, it is a lesson that compassion, love, and support in the form of “family,” real or surrogate, can make all the difference for those who wind…

Blogger and Larson’s co-author Thomas Robinson wrote yesterday in his blog workcompwriter.com about a case where a New York Appellate Court upheld a decision to stop indemnity benefits to an injured worker because he had failed to report gambling income while receiving workers’ compensation payments. Robinson, in his usual form, does an excellent job of outlining the…

It is that time of year when newly minted high school grads looking to the fall with grand ideas and great hope are preparing to embark on the adventure of higher education. A future awaits these kids; a future that offers potential stability and success for the lives that await them.  Now, if they could…

There is a lot of conversation surrounding how and when to return people to the workplace as the numbers related to COVID continue to decline across the nation. Employers have been left to look for answers to many open questions. Masks or no masks? Do we require vaccinations? Do we treat the vaccinated to a…

Today I venture away from our normal workers’ compensation / employment risk theme for a personal notation. Please forgive the unexpected variance. You see, today is our 24th wedding anniversary. Although, to be honest, if you were to speak to my wife, she would tell you we have been together for 31 years and she “wants…

NCCI has been conducting their Annual Issues Symposium this week, and as usual they have provided a slick presentation format filled with highly accurate and useful data for the industry. The numbers they have been reporting are undeniably encouraging. The industry is profitable, incident rates are down, and, most critically, Covid did not have the…