It is generally known that there has been an uptick in workplace violence this past year. This trend is certainly visible in the world of law enforcement, where 33 officers have died by gunfire this year. Last year there were 46 killed in the entire year. This phenomenon is also most visible in the airline…
At SAWCA, The North Gets More Southern Every Day
When asked several years ago why Maine, one of the northernmost states in the continental US would join SAWCA, the Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators, Executive Director Gary Davis simply smiled. He replied with a typical Dixie drawl and a knowing nod of the head, saying, “Because Southern is a state of mind.” And so…
Washington Appeals Court Decision Has Malignant Potential
The timing probably couldn’t have been better. I had just concluded my fifth time moderating a session called “Things That Make Bob Go, Hmmmmm” at the 70thAnnual Conference of the Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators (SAWCA), when an interesting court case out of Washington landed on my cluttered desk. At the SAWCA presentation we…
In Technology, One Innovation Doesn't Necessarily Fit All
There is a restaurant in Terminal A at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC that offers a unique lesson in the adaptation of new technologies. The message may be that innovation that is good for one may not be good for all. It is a tutorial that easily translates to technological changes within workers’ compensation.…
Reprising My Hmmmm Role at SAWCA
I am off to Virginia this morning, to attend the last couple days of the annual conference of the Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators (SAWCA). I am hosting a panel there Friday morning called “Things That Make Bob Go, Hmmmm….” It will be the fifth time I’ve been asked to do this. I think…
Wedding Bells Ring for a Marriage Made in Workers' Comp
There has been a lot of activity in the mergers and acquisitions arena of the workers’ compensation industry lately. Numerous big companies have been swallowed up by bigger companies, forming new, even bigger entities. But this last weekend saw a merger of a more personal nature; a wedding that may have formed in heaven, but…
The Price of Getting Old: California Gets Under Our Skin (and Contents)
A week ago, I was in California, speaking at the annual conference of the California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation. A very big topic there was the proliferation of “Skin and Contents” cases that are overwhelming the system, particularly in the Los Angeles basin. “Skin and Contents” is another phrase for cumulative trauma injuries. The ailments…
You Don't Have to Hire the Psychologist, But You Must Understand the Psychology
There are a number of constants in the world of workplace injuries and workers’ compensation. One of them is the fact that employers hate the idea of paying for psychiatric care, and they will work to avoid it like the plague. Part of that extends from a (not wholly unearned) belief that psychology is like…
Kids' Chance and the Best Job in the World
By all accounts I have a pretty great job. I get to work with terrific people and have made many strong friendships around the country. I have the opportunity to be creative in this position, and, if I do things right, get to set my own schedule much of the time (as a young manager…
The Risk Management Follies, or When Your Media Training Call Is a PR Disaster
I am fascinated by the world of risk management. There are so many challenges to the field; so many potential threats to be concerned with. And despite the best laid plans of mice and men, things can go wrong despite a multitude of efforts otherwise. I thought of this a few months ago while visiting…