It’s Health Wonk Review week! Louise and Jay Norris host a special edition at Colorado Health Insurance – not only is it a mere 46 days to the next election so that has the wonkers opining – it is also the 10th blogging anniversary for the hosting blog – The “We’re Ten!” Edition of the Health Wonk Review. There are great entries from both the usual subjects and some fresh faces. Louise is a great host, framing everything nicely. Congratulations on 10 years of blogging, Louise & Jay. *clinks champagne glass*
More news of note
Just by way of coincidence, September is our birthday month here at Work Comp Insider, too – we launched in 2003! That makes us a grizzled old timer in Internet time.
Oklahoma and opt out– in case you missed it, the Oklahoma Supreme Court Ruled Workers’ Comp Opt-Out Unconstitutional:
Justice Watt, in the Court’s highly anticipated written decision, said the OWCC previously found the Opt Out Act: “1) constituted an unconstitutional special law; 2) denied equal protection to Oklahoma’s injured workers; and 3) denied injured workers the constitutionally protected right of access to courts.”
And the high court agreed, finding that the core provision of the Act “creates impermissible, unequal disparate treatment of a select group of injured workers.”
The PCI and AIA were quick to applaud the decision. Joe Paduda hopes this is the end to what he sees as the pointless debate about Opt-Out (we hope so too). Bob Wilson looks at some of the loose ends in the wake of this decision.
Psych indicators – Most of us in the industry are pretty familiar with triggers or warning signs that would indicate an accident investigation or the need for early medical intervention — but perhapsare less familiar with indicators that might signal the need for a psychological evaluation. Our friends at Work Comp Psych Net have posted a handy reference list of Predictive Psychosocial Triggers For Workers’ Compensation Claims.
Obesity’s toll on WC – A new study in the September Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine shows that obese and overweight workers are more likely to incur high costs related to workers’ compensation claims for major injuries;
But for workers with major injuries, high BMI was associated with higher workers’ compensation costs. In this group, costs averaged about $470,000 for obese and $270,000 for overweight workers, compared to $180,000 for normal-weight workers.
After adjustment for other factors—including high-cost spinal surgeries or injections—obese or overweight workers with major injuries were about twice as likely to incur costs of $100,000 or higher. Body mass index had no effect on costs for closed claims or for less-severe injuries.
Safety Culture Does Not Exist! – This is a half-hour podcast interview with Dr. Edgar Schein, Professor at MIT Sloan School of Management. Well worth a listen. We weren’t aware of this podcast series and it looks great: The Pre Accident Podcast is an ongoing discussion of Human Performance, Systems Safety, & Safety Culture. The Dr. Schein interview is the #88th edition!
Speaking of safety …. It’s Farm Safety & Health Week from September 18-24.
More news of note
- What it’s like fighting the opioid industry
- Bad Pharma: This is What We’re Up Against
- Greater Share of U.S. Workers Testing Positive for Illicit Drugs
- WCIRB Study Shows Decline in Drug Spending
- Bill Nye Says Robots Aren’t Going to Kill Us, But They Still Might Kill Our Jobs
- Silence Of The Limbs: The Toll of Inactivity on Our Sedentary Workforce
- Employer dos and don’ts for 2016 elections (NLRB-friendly version)
- Accountable Care Organizations, Explained
- Top 5 ergonomic trends redefining the workplace
- Harvard Study: Political Dysfunction Threatens U.S. Economy
- Hunting ADA Violations
- The Dangerous Life of a Trash Collector
- Hispanic workforce demographics
- Brushing up on Terrorism Insurance
- Climate disruption is fueling stronger storms
- Defending their toxics – Industry pushes to protect its preferred chemicals under the new TSCA
- Shhh! America’s Most Common Workplace Injury Is Hearing Loss
