Category Archives: Claims Management

Claims Management, OSHA, Risk Management, Workers Compensation Insurance

Safety Meetings: Advice and Tips

Safety meetings are common in the workplace, and will be almost necessary once normal work resumes post covid-19. The problem that arises from safety meetings is that sometimes they are inefficient. They are too long, planned at the wrong times, and/or not executed correctly. There are 4 simple steps to correctly have a safety meeting in a normal work setting.

Step 1: Prepare and Plan

This is the first part when setting up a safety meeting. Know who will be attending, who will be leading the safety meeting, location, etc. Making sure everyone that needs to be at the meeting is informed and reminded in proper time. Have a general outline of the main goal/statement you want your employees to hear. From there, you can create the safety meeting around that information.
The worst thing for a safety meeting is to show unpreparedness with nothing but as a topic for your safety meeting and ramble. No one is given helpful information. Employees feel you have wasted their time and morale lowers. Make sure you plan ahead.

Step 2: Timing your Safety Meetings

How long your meeting will last and what time and day the meeting occurs is crucial. Picking a time when employees are most attentive is best. That happens to be at the start of the work day/shift.
The day is also important. Mondays seems to be when employees are most tired and least focused. Friday seems to be when workers are out the most and their mind is not fully focused on work.
Routine is the last part that is important to plan. Planning for a safety meeting one Tuesday is perfectly fine. We do not suggest you plan your next meeting next Thursday. Have a routine time and day. Once a month, every other week, or something along those lines is perfect.
Wait until 4 and the only thing on your workers’ mind is what bar has a happy hour. Try the first Wednesday of every month at 9:30.

Step 3: Delivery in your Safety Meetings

Let’s face it, your employees are most likely doing something more important. They want to get back to work to meet deadlines. The safety meeting should be a routine quick “check-up” on guidelines. For us, quick may be 15-20 minutes, 30 at the max.

Don’t just read off a piece of paper. Have some slides or graphics ready! People are more attentive when they can visually see the information. That can include images, facts, or important statements.

Allow for employees to ask 5 minutes worth of questions. How do you know what you said made complete sense to them? If they have questions, make sure to give them the floor.

Step 4: Following Up After the Safety Meeting

Try and get some interaction with your audience either at the end of some of your meetings or through a reply email. Your employees are the ones who witnessed the safety meeting. They have the best opinions on whether or not it was executed well. Try asking a question on how to improve.

Also follow-up to make sure they understood the message. Possibly leaving an email with a “quiz question” attached to answer in a sentence. These are a few ways to engage with your audience.

 

Still have a question? Consult a risk advisor today at 914-357-8444 or visit us here at our website

Claims Management, Commercial Property, Risk Management

The Time to Find Flood Insurance at a Great Price is Now

Flood Danger

The need for flood insurance at a great price has become a critical necessity for most property owners. A new report from independent researchers shows nearly double the properties across America are in danger of major flood damage. According to First Street Foundation, a NYC based academic group, over 14.5 million properties are highly susceptible to large flooding. This is almost double the 8.7 million figure FEMA came out with. The main reason for the large gap in results is the difference in flooding mapped. FEMA primarily researched properties at risk of flooding primarily through river/ocean overflow, which accounted for the low number. First Street however, mapped properties at risk through not only river flooding, but flooding caused by rainfalls and smaller bodies of water.

These numbers are not necessarily that the next time it rains, your building is in severe risk of floating away. It means 14.6 million properties are susceptible to damages from a 100-year flood – a flood with the probability of happening 1% annually. The reason for concern? These 100-year floods may come sooner as intense rainfall will continue to grow due to global warming.

Who’s Affected?

The new data saw poor communities along coasts affected most, as their buildings may not sustain such harsh weather conditions. Large cities such as New York City and Chicago also see growth in the new study due to the outdated sewage/drainage systems currently in-place. With the new data that includes rainfall and smaller, locally-known creeks, more inland communities are now on the list as well.

What Should I Do?

While our generation may never witness such a catastrophe, every year average global temperature increases the chances become even likelier. With this information, it is wise to review your flood insurance. You may not be covered with the thought you were not susceptible to damages you now realize may be reality. However, you now can take a closer look and find out if flood insurance is something worth investing in.

Still have questions on finding flood insurance at a great price? Contact a risk advisor at 914-357-8444.

Claims Management, Workers Compensation Insurance

Requiring Sunscreen as PPE

The dog days of July and August have come. And with those months come extreme heat, humidity, and higher risks of staying in the sun. Injuries and illnesses related to heat are real and affected millions of workers a year. Sunstroke, severe dehydration, and fainting due to dizziness are common. However, one of the overlooked effects of the sun is the damage of UV rays on the skin. Requiring sunscreen as PPE can help minimize that risk.

Without skin protection, extreme heat in the summer may cause permanent sun damage and illnesses in the future. These may form skin cancers that appear decades afterward. Making sure workers are protected can save costs and claims. The solution happens to remain very simple.

Make all workers wear high-SPF sunscreen as PPE. If gloves protect the hands and goggles protect the eyes, sunscreen should protect the skiing. Even a subtle injury such as sunburn can affect a workers productivity for the next few days. We also recommend workers wear more clothing to hide their skin as well as using sunscreen. UV rays are more extreme and direct in the summer and workers protection is imperative.

This article is a great guide to PPE protection and goes over sunscreen use in the summer. If you still have questions, contact a risk advisor today at 914-357-8444.

Claims Management, Construction Practice Group Content, Risk Management, Workers Compensation Insurance

Hand Sanitizers Risks in the Workplace

Hand Sanitizer Problems

According to a recent event that occurred on a construction site, the Mechanical Contractors Association of America has announced to be extra cautious with brand-name liquid hand-sanitizers at the workplace. Many of these sanitizers contain isopropyl alcohol, a highly-flammable but important component of the sanitizer. If the skin does not absorb the entire sanitizer, the solution can ignite when set near other flammable objects.

According to the MCAA, an event occurred where a construction worker used the sanitizer then touched a metal beam. Because the sanitizer did not fully absorb, the worker received first-degree burns. This news rightly frightens many, as millions of Americans use hand sanitizers every day.

Hand sanitizers are becoming a commonality when entering a new building due to COVID-19. Liquid sanitizers containing isopropyl alcohol are supposedly effective at combating COVID-19. Yet it is now apparent they are also effective at causing serious flammable problems.

The other component of hand sanitizer labeled as dangerous by the FDA and CDC is methanol. The FDA recently placed recall orders for various hand sanitizers from Mexico because of their use of methanol. The sanitizers claim the use of ethanol, a regulatory hand sanitizer component. However, there has been traces of methanol instead. methanol is wood alcohol usually used in dry adhesives and paint thinners. More than 4% methanol in a hand sanitizer is considered “poisonous” by the FDA. This is due to the fact that methanol can cause serious, permanent damage or death when directly ingested or rubbed onto the skin.

How to Prevent the Hand Sanitizer Problems

To prevent accidents like these from happening, experts say to just let the sanitizer soak into the skin. Waiting an extra three minutes before starting to work can be the difference between disaster and containing a pandemic.

To prevent using methanol, make sure to read the full FDA banned sanitizer list and know what sanitizers to buy and not buy. Also, make sure the hand sanitizer is government approved and not some homemade liquid mixture. These are becoming prevalent due to the hand sanitizer shortage.

Causes

Some things that may assist in the ignition of isopropyl are open flames, electrical tools/machinery, sparks from static electricity, as well as smoking cigarettes.

With the need of isopropyl alcohol to actually defend the skin against COVID-19, the problem will not be going away anytime soon. However, small changes such as waiting an extra 2 or 3 minutes or wearing gloves can make a drastic impact. COVID-19 has already impacted our work lives plenty the last 4 months, a relatively small hand sanitizer issue should not stop us from re-entering the workplace.

Still confused by this article? Still concerned about your health and safety? Contact a risk advisor today at 914-357-8444/

Claims Management, Human Services Practice Group Content, OSHA, Workers Compensation Insurance

Healthcare Safe Patient Handling

Healthcare employees are a prime target for on-site injury. The main reason is their job consists of manual labor that usually deals with people. Activities such as lifting/handling human patients are common in the workplace for healthcare employees. One thing that needs to be addressed is safe-patient handling.

It is no surprise then that the main reasons for lost work and worker injuries in the healthcare industry is patient handling. Patient handling injuries makeup over 30% of workplace injuries and cost $1.66 billion in WC claims every year, according to Liberty Mutual data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That does not account for the billions every year spent on medical treatment by the workers themselves. So what are the ways that healthcare workers can maintain their current work duties yet avoid the risk of constant injuries? Well, here are 10 ways/tips to execute safe lifting and patient handling, according to OSHA.

Mechanical Lifting is Safe Patient Handling

Mechanical lifting is not only safer for the workers’ health, it is safer for any patients needing assistance.

Healthy Workers Should Still Not be Lifting Patients

Just because an employee has no previous injuries does not mean they are cleared to carry fully-grown people. Experts say less than 40 pounds is satisfactory for any employee’s heaviest lift.

Manually Lifting Patients can Actually be More Time-Consuming

If the job-site has mechanical lifting technology on-site and nearby, manually lifting may actually be more time-consuming. Do not worry if it takes an extra minute to retrieve/set up the technology. This is much safer than having a load of employees attempt to pick up and lift a patient.

Manual Lifting Costs More in the Long Run

While the mechanical lifting machines cost a pretty penny, medical injuries stemming from manual lifting could end up costing more. Back injury treatment for healthcare workers cost $20 billion every year. Factor in the billions in WC claims, and the lost days of worker productivity. Then, it makes the decision more clear that mechanical lifting is cheaper and more productive.

Learning Good Body Posture for Lifting Does Not Equal Less Injuries

Unfortunately, no matter how much you train to correctly lift a patient manually, it will never be as safe as mechanical lifting. There is no such technique that will teach how to safely lift a patient as our bodies were not built to lift another person.

Management Support

Having company-wide approval for a switch mechanical lifting is a positive step forward. This will help expedite the process of installing new mechanical lift devices without management backlash.

Assessing Potential Hazards

Finding the most hazardous areas of the workplace is crucial to implementation of mechanical lifting. Picking where to install these devices at the most efficient spots for the workers can make a huge difference.

Implementing a Committee to help With Safe Patient Handling

Creating a workers-based committee to help with the implementation of a safe patient handling program can help your company. After all, they are the most knowledgeable on the subject and can provide invaluable insight.

Education on Mechanical Lifting

Of course, mechanical lifting can only be as safe as the one that is operating the machine! Make sure your frontline healthcare workers are fully trained in using the technology.

Monitoring the Implementation of the New Safe Patient Handling

Once the mechanical lifting technology is in-place, that does not necessarily mean the end of the discussion. Management and workers alike must constantly evaluate the efficiency of the devices and judge whether or not another change must be made.

All of these steps and tips obviously lean towards the use of mechanical lifting devices over manual lifting. Following these steps can save your employees injuries and your company billions in claims. Remember, your employees’ health and safety must come first as well as your clients, so do the right thing and invest in the future of healthcare.

Claims Management, OSHA, Other, Workers Compensation Insurance

5 Ergonomics Tips For Desk & Office Workers

Ergonomics, or the study of people’s efficiency in the workplace, is a fast-growing field of research. Part of ergonomics is designing the workplace individually for everyone’s physical status, and lowering the number of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). Currently, MSDs account for 33% of injured work claims, and $1 billion are spent on treatment every week for this pain. Here are 5 ways in which you can help yourself against MSDs and participate in ergonomics.

Learn How To Correctly Sit in an Office Chair

Sitting in an office chair all day can be exhausting and after a while, our body tends to slide into unhealthy positions. Keeping a good posture by sitting all the way back into the chair will help your back, neck, and hips.

Avoid the Bad Habit of Stretching for Things

If your workspace is spread out and you have the need to reach for frequently used items, you can be in danger of injuring important muscles in your arms and shoulders. Reorganizing your desk to keep your most-used items closer to you can save you the pain later.

Keep your Head Level

Staring at a screen all day is already unhealthy, so doing it the wrong way is even worse. Make sure you are looking at your monitor straight on to avoid your neck from unnecessary stress injuries.

Move Around!

A simple one to stick to, just moving around once an hour. This will help with stretching your legs and keeping yourself moving is a great way to avoid major back issues.

Watch your Elbows

Where you put your elbows is an important part of keeping yourself safe from MSDs. Simply having an armchair to put your elbows and stop growing discomfort is a quick fix for long-term stabilization.

Keeping up with ergonomics will keep you physically healthy and safe. Hopefully, these 5 tips will be useful for you and others in your office.

 

Claims Management, Cyber Liability Insurance, Loss Control, Practice Groups, Risk Management

Disturbing Hacking Trends

Security experts commonly say that there are only two types of companies these days. There’s companies that have been hacked, and those that don’t yet know that they’ve been hacked. Here are some important hacking trends given by a statistical study.

Verizon’s 2020 Data Breach Investigations Report counted 3,950 CONFIRMED data breaches last year in addition to more than 32,000 “security incidents.”

Victims spanned a wide range of 16 industries with these 4 having the largest number of cases:

  • Professional Services – 7,500 incidents, 325 breaches
  • Public Administration – 6,850 incidents, 350 breaches
  • Information – 5,500 incidents, 360 breaches
  • Financial/Insurance – 1,500 incidents, 450 breaches

*Totals slightly off due to rounding

 

Any business that operates online is at potential risk of suffering a data breach. Doesn’t matter how small your business is either.

According to Verizon’s report more than 3 out of 4 breaches are done by profit-minded criminals for financial gain. 

Other alarming stats:

  • Only 30% of data breaches were the work of insiders.
  • 86% of data breaches occur due to financial profit of hackers
  • Also, 58% of victims had personal information compromised
  • In 17% Verizon said the attackers installed malicious software on the victim’s systems, whereas the more common tools are spear phishing, ransomware, or business email compromise.
  • In 22 percent of breaches, the attackers leveraged social tactics, such as spear phishing, in which a tailored e-mail to the victim purports to come from a friend or business contact. The e-mails contain malicious links or attachments that, when clicked, give the attacker a foothold in the victim’s computer network. See below image for an example of what NOT to click.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

The good news? The Verizon report highlighted the lag between the breach and the time of breach realization. This year, companies and external third-party software experts were able to improve that time. 81% of the time, it takes only days to contain a breach. Compare this to years past, where it is months, maybe even a year. In previous yearly reports, Verizon sates things like “The compromise-to-discovery timeline continues to show in months and even years, as opposed to hours and days.” No longer is this trend true. Don’t be another cog in one of the larger hacking trends currently ongoing. Click the link below or call 914-357-8444 today.

Click here for advice on preventing hacking theft or if you are still interested in a crime policy to protect your assets.

Claims Management, Construction Practice Group Content, Food & Beverage Practice Group Content, General Liability Insurance, Human Services Practice Group Content, Line of Insurance, Risk Management, Transportation Practice Group Content, Workers Compensation Insurance, Workers Compensation Premium Audits

What A High Experience Mod Means and How It Can Affect You

You’ve just seen your Experience Modification Rating (EMR) and it is high again. Or your worst-case scenario, it has gone up again. Year over year, you’ve spent time shopping for your insurance due to your high EMR. It is time to stop shopping and start proactively working to lowering your EMR because eventually, it will catch up to you.

What Is Your Experience Mod?

Let’s start with a basic definition. What is your Experience Modification Rating or your EMR? A simple definition of EMR is Payroll divided by Claims. The video below explains what your experience mod is and what is expected of your organization. (If the video does not play in your browser click here.)

Remember, an average experience mod is a 1.0, this is like receiving a “C” on your report card. If you’re happy with this, stop reading now. Good luck, you’ll be competing against companies with a greater competitive advantage than you because they’ll have a much lower cost structure, higher profits, and a larger business development budget.  

Some Construction companies bidding on government work are ineligible if their EMR is above 1.0. 

How To Find Your Experience Mod Rate

The NCCI (National Council on Compensation Insurance), is a group that calculates Experience Modification Factors for companies across the entire United States. Some states have their own rating bureaus due to their size and complexity. For example, New York and New Jersey have the NYCIRB & NJCRIB respectively. For a detailed explanation of what your Experience Modification Factor is and how it’s calculated visit this site. 

Why is Your Experience Mod High?

There are a number of reasons why your EMR is high. The biggest factor is the number of open claims. If your organization has a high number of claims or one large claim on your Workers’ Comp policy your EMR may stay high until that claim is closed.

How This Affects Your Organization

What this means is that most companies will see another increase in their Experience Modification Factor following their next recalculation. That takes place on their “Unit Stat Date,” and, if left unchecked, your business could face higher rates, possible penalties, and Labor Department Violations.

What You Can Do To Lower Your Experience Mod:

  1. Track incidents (near misses) not just claims. Most claims can be avoided if you are meticulous about tracking all of the near misses that lead up to the eventual incident. Most claims could have been avoided in hindsight as the employee typically was taking shortcuts long before the ultimate injury occurred. Track these infractions and you will prevent at least one injury a year.

    High Experience Mod

  2. Investigate accidents immediately and thoroughly; take corrective action to eliminate the hazard. If you sense fraud, get aggressive; don’t be an easy target. We suggest Why Analysis follow all incidents. That’s a whole other article that can be accessed HERE.
  3. Report all incidents to your insurance broker or Risk Advisor immediately. Studies show the longer it takes to report a claim, the more expensive it will be. A 4-week delay in reporting an injury drives the cost of that same injury by 48% according to a Hartford Insurance study of over 2 million claims.
  4. Alert your workers’ compensation claims adjuster to any serious, potentially serious or suspect claims. Frequently monitor the status of the claim, and communicate with the adjuster to resolve them as quickly as possible. Too busy to do that,  have our Claims Advocates communicate with the adjuster on your behalf. Our Claims Advocates were insurance adjusters so they speak that language holding the carrier’s adjusters accountable.
  5. Every reported claim to your insurance carrier no matter the line of insurance should have an action plan attached to it to close out the claim. This is a big mistake most businesses make. They report it and then forget it until the policy comes up for renewal. At that point, they are shocked at the increase in the workers’ compensation insurance premium which is always driven by claims experience. Folks forget that workers’ compensation insurance is really a very expensive credit line to the business.
  6. Take an aggressive approach to providing light-duty or transitional to all injured employees upon their release from treatment. Return To Work programs are extremely powerful tools for lowering the cost of a workers’ compensation claim as they give leverage back to the employer, stopping the tail from wagging the dog.  Supervise light duty employees to ensure their conformance with restrictions.
  7. In serious cases that involve lost time, communicate with the claims adjuster to demonstrate your interest in returning the injured employee back to gainful employment.
  8. Set safety performance goals for those with supervisory responsibility. Success in achieving safety goals should be used as one measure during performance appraisals. At Metropolitan Risk this is just one of the K.R.I’s (Key Risk Indicators) we emphasize to establish internal standards and accountability.
  9. Develop a written safety program, and train employees in their responsibilities for safety. OSHA rules dictate for every facility location or job site there must be a competent person. Incorporate a disciplinary policy into the program that holds employees accountable for breaking rules or rewards them for correctly following safety procedures. This should be tied into the employee handbook which each employee receives when they are on-boarded for your org.
  10. Frequently communicate with employees, both formally and informally, regarding the importance of safety keeping safety top of mind at all times.
  11. Make safety a priority – senior management must be visible in the safety effort and must support the initiative.
  12. Evaluate accident history and near-misses at least monthly. Look for trends in experience, and take corrective action on the worst problems first.
  13. Ensure your payroll and class codes are accurate. Over 65 % of workers’ compensation audits have errors. See COMP CHECK .
  14. Ensure the correctness of your mod calculation. Far too often there are errors here as well. See COMP CHECK

You can build all this out organically by yourself OR speak to a Risk Advisor about our COMP CARE PLATFORM. We have this all built. It’s turn-key and ready to be deployed in your organization if you are serious about reducing your workers’ compensation costs. There are no short cuts…

How Metropolitan Risk Can Help

Still looking for more info? Still have question? We have a team of Risk Management specialists who are here to help! Contact a Risk Advisor today for more information on how you can work towards lower workers comp costs by closing claims instead of shopping for insurance.  Click here to book a 5-minute call with a Risk Advisor

Claims Management, Construction Practice Group Content, Food & Beverage Practice Group Content, HR Challenges, Human Services Practice Group Content, Transportation Practice Group Content, Workers Compensation Insurance

When An Employee Refuses Medical Injury Treatment For Potential Workers Compensation Claim

Is your employee refusing medical injury treatment for a potential worker compensation claim? Based on the geographic location of your business, many state workers’ compensation statutes limit and mandate certain employer actions when a worker is injured. Depending on the state, there are specific timelines to follow and forms to complete. But what about when a worker injures themselves and refuses to accept treatment or file a claim? What are your responsibilities? While the exact legal answer depends on your situation and state laws, consider the following to limit your liability. Not sure click here.

When You Notice An Employee Injury

If you’ve notice that one of your employees has been injured, whether they have mentioned it or not, gently bring it up. Then, discuss the circumstances of the injury with the employee to determine whether the injury occurred when working. Many state workers’ compensation statutes obligate employers to report injuries as soon as they have knowledge of them. Delay in reporting the injury could result in a much larger claim & fines from the state. Completing the paperwork to report injuries is not an admission of your liability—on the contrary, it could protect you. This is where we see Employers are weakest, as they have no consistent systems in place. This could ultimately help them defend themselves in a workers compensation claim hearing.  

 

In the Case of An Employee’s  Refusal For Medical Treatment For A Potential Worker Compensation Claim

When discussing the injury with the employee, explain that reporting job-related injuries ensures injured workers to certain benefits. This is in action while recovering from the injury. This should have been in writing in your employee handbook as part of your policies and procedures. Further notifying your employees of their obligation to report timely. All potential workplace injuries should be part of your initial on-boarding process. If the employee refuses to file a claim for the injury, file the employer’s portion of the report with a statement of refusal to pursue a claim signed by the employee. It is crucial that you document this conversation to protect your organization from being penalized in the future. Typically we advocate separate reporting forms, one for the employee and one for the direct report supervisor. This serves a dual purpose of taking down details of the incident and as an accident investigation report. 

Employees that do initially report injuries but then refuse treatment under the physician or facility that your organization furnishes should sign a similar form confirming this refusal. The employer also has a right to state to the employee that the only way they could be allowed back at work is if they passed a medical clearance test. This test determines their physical capacity to perform the work. Self-diagnosis by an employee is rarely a good idea. 

Workers Compensation Benefits for Employees that Refuse Medical Treatment

State workers’ comp statutes vary, but in most cases, workers’ compensation benefits are suspended for employees that refuse to comply with any reasonable request for examination or refuse to accept medical service or physical rehabilitation which the employer elects to furnish. Benefits may not be payable for this period of refusal of treatment—check with your workers’ comp carrier. 

What Employers Can Do When An Employee Refuses Medical Treatment For A Workers Compensation Claim

It is important that you prepare for an eventual employee’s refusal to submit a claim or refusal to accept treatment for a workplace injury. All employers should have a legal representative draft a form for refusal of treatment that complies with state requirements so it is immediately available when needed. Discuss with supervisors the importance of documenting and reporting all injuries, whether or not the worker chooses to report them.

 

Workers compensation insurance is obligatory in most states. Contact a Risk Advisor at Metropolitan Risk by CLICKING HERE or call (914) 357-8444 for more information.