December 2013 – Risk Management 365

Safety Tips: New Year’s Eve

If you are hosting a New Year’s Eve party, following a few simple rules could prevent a tragedy:

Plan ahead by naming a “designated driver.” Make this your responsibility as the host.
Contact a local cab company to provide rides for your guests.
Serve non-alcoholic beverages as an option to your guests.
Stop serving alcohol to your guests several hours before the party ends.
Provide your guests with a place to stay overnight in your home.

If you are attending New Year’s Eve parties and celebrations:

If you drink, don’t drive.
Plan ahead and always designate a sober driver before the party or celebration begins.
If you are impaired, call a taxi, use mass transit, or get a sober friend or family member to come pick you up.
Or, stay where you are until you are sober.
Take the keys from someone if you think he/she is too impaired to drive.

via USA.gov:Safety Tips: New Year’s Eve.

How to Recognize Workers’ Comp Fraud

Workers’ Comp Claimant fraud–when an employee deliberately falsifies facts about an illness or injury to collect benefits–is the most commonly discussed form of workers’ comp fraud. Here are a few examples of how to recognize this type of fraud:

An employee becomes injured or sick and claims that it was caused by work-related circumstances when, in reality, it was not.
An employee experiences a minor accident and exaggerates the extent of the resulting injury.
An employee who has an injury claim collects benefits while secretly continuing to work or consciously participates in activities that otherwise would not be possible based on the extent of the reported injury and medical limitations.
A claimant with a legitimate injury or illness, who is capable of transitional work or modified duty, malingers and makes no effort to return to any work activity, all the while receiving workers’ compensation benefits.

via Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation.

Keeping Kids Safe Online

There’s a wide range of dangers that can affect kids online:

Contact with undesirable people, including:

Being approached by pedophiles – for example, in Internet chat rooms
Being targeted by online bullies
Being tricked into disclosing personal information – about your child or about you

Inappropriate content, such as:

Sexually explicit content
Downloads of pirated materials – including music or video files

Computer security issues:

Drive-by downloads – whereby simply visiting a website can result in malicious programs being automatically installed on your child’s computer
Malware infections from peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing programs – can give other people access to your child’s computer
Unwanted advertising, pop-ups, and adware programs – that are often automatically installed when freeware or shareware programs are downloaded

via Keeping Kids Safe Online | Internet Security Information | Kaspersky Lab US.

Importance of Safety Training

Routine work can dull alertness and a relaxed attitude can replace the caution that existed when the job was new and interesting. In many jobs the same route is traveled daily over the same roads or the same tasks are repeated with little conscious thought. Without some periodic reawakening to the ever-present hazards, lethargy deepens and the odds of an accident occurring can increase.

Workers may not always recognize the importance of safety training or think of it as unnecessary because they’ve “been doing it for years.” But an important benefit of periodic safety training is the reminder that a danger can exist and the no one is immune to accidents. Therefore, it is important for workers to understand the purpose of the training session, why it will be useful to them, and what can result from not following safety rules and procedures.

via Importance of Safety Training.

When to Use Home Fire Extinguishers

When is a fire at a point where it might still be controlled by a fire extinguisher?

Portable fire extinguishers are valuable for immediate use on small fires. They contain a limited amount of extinguishing material and need to be properly used so that this material is not wasted. For example, when a pan initially catches fire, it may be safe to turn off the burner, place a lid on the pan, and use an extinguisher. By the time the fire has spread, however, these actions will not be adequate. Only trained firefighters can safely extinguish such fires.

Use a fire extinguisher only if:

You have alerted other occupants and someone has called the fire department;
The fire is small and contained to a single object, such as a wastebasket;
You are safe from the toxic smoke produced by the fire;
You have a means of escape identified and the fire is not between you and the escape route; and
Your instincts tell you that it is safe to use an extinguisher.

If all of these conditions are not present, you should NOT try to use a fire extinguisher. Alert other occupants, leave the building following your home escape plan, go to the agreed upon meeting place, and call the fire department from a cell phone or a neighbor’s home.

via Home Fire Safety | Use and Maintenance of Home Fire Extinguishers.

Santa Claus hires Christmas Risk Officer CRO

Santa Claus has announced the appointment of a Christmas Risk Officer CRO as part of a coordinated plan to maintain resilience at Grotto SE, the North Pole based toy manufacturing plant, as well as Claus’ flying sledge-based global distribution facility.

Mrs Santa Claus is believed to be unhappy about the appointment of the new CRO but accepts that someone has to do it if clients’ confidence in Christmas is to be retained. Sources say that, in line with other big company CEOs, Santa Claus is increasingly concerned about linked risks to do with brand and reputation, as well data security.

via Santa Claus CRO strengthens Lloyd’s links – Market News – Lloyds.

Best Practices for Monitoring Workers’ Comp Claims

When adopting best practices in Workers’ Compensation (WC) claims management, even simply identifying where to start can be intimidating for employers if they rely solely on their claims administrator. To achieve best outcomes, employers should take an active role in developing internal best practices and align them with a claims administrator who supports the same philosophy.

The key elements to a successful WC claims-management program will have both pre- and post-injury components. It’s said that “the best WC claim is the one that never happens,” therefore, the first step is avoiding claims through safety and health programs. The second is mitigating costs once a claim occurs.

With medical expenses accounting for more than 60 percent of a WC claim, injury strategies must address this cost driver through programs that keep employees healthy.

via Analysis: Best Practices for Monitoring Property, Casualty and WC Claims | PropertyCasualty360.

Power Outage – Dangers of Portable Generators

Portable generators are also used at home and the workplace to power essential equipment during power outages. Improper installation and use can endanger occupants of the building, utility workers and others.

When using a portable generator, follow these precautions:

Choose the correct generator for the job. Do not exceed the load rating recommended by the manufacturer.
Carefully follow all manufacturer’s advice, including instructions about grounding.
Connect the appliance you want to use directly to the generator.
Do not connect the generator directly to the building wiring system. This can cause electricity to backfeed into the utility electrical system, endangering utility workers and other users.
Run the generator only in a well-ventilated area to prevent the buildup of carbon monoxide from burning fuel. This odorless, invisible gas can kill if it accumulates indoors. Place the generator outside in a dry location away from air intakes.
Use caution when handling and storing fuel. Turn off the generator for refueling because gasoline vapors can catch fire and explode if ignited by a spark.
Use the correct size of extension cords and keep them free of damage and moisture. You must use three-prong cords for safe grounding. Do not allow cords to become tripping hazards and don’t run them under rugs where they can overheat and start a fire.

via Staying Safe During a Power Outage | SafetyXChange.

Three ways to control workers’ compensation loss costs

Cost control and injury management are the basic yet most important management programs that can impact workers’ compensation loss costs. Focusing efforts on prompt claim reporting, controlling medical costs and having a plan to get injured employees back to work as quickly as possible can have an impact on controlling your workers’ compensation claim costs.

Report claims promptly – The prompt reporting of employee injury claims can be one of the most effective tools in controlling worker’s compensation costs.
Utilize network medical providers – According to current NCCI data, medical costs represent 58% of workers’ compensation claim 120% costs. Utilizing network providers is a critical step in controlling your medical costs.
Plan for return-to-work with a well-engineered process – An important tool for controlling claim costs is an effective return-to-work process. Lost time or indemnity cases have the highest percentage of uninsured indirect costs.

Holiday Travel Safety Tips

Whether you’re traveling across town or around the world, help ensure your trip is safe. Don’t drink and drive, and don’t let someone else drink and drive. Wear a seat belt every time you drive or ride in a motor vehicle. Always buckle your child in the car using a child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt appropriate for his/her height, weight, and age.

via CDC – Family Health – Holiday Health and Safety Tips.