Fall 2016

In This Issue

On the Fly - Must know information, upcoming events, and observances.

Work Comp - Take Pictures After Workers' Compensation Injuries Occur

Safety - Attacking Slip, Trip, and Falls

Property and Casualty - Property and Casualty Adds Dedicated Loss Control Staff

On the Fly

What You Need to Know

• MnSAFE - The fourth quarter FY2016 MnSAFE results are now available.
• Annual Report - The FY2015 Workers Compensation Annual Report is now available.
• Dividend - Once again the Risk Management Fund (RMF) is paying dividends! The FY2015 declared dividend of $3,151,107 is payable in FY2017 and by line is:
• Property - $2,668,041
• Auto - $264, 893
• General Liability - $218,173
• Conference - Were you at the 10th Annual State Safety & Loss Control Conference? If so, a big thank you for joining us! If not, you missed some great sessions and information and the opportunity to network with colleagues from across state government and Minnesota State. Hope to see you next year!
• Noise - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, work related hearing loss is one of the most common work related injuries. The good news is workplace hearing loss is preventable.
• Silica - OSHA has updated the silica standard for general industry and construction. Silica is a basic component of soil, sand, granite and many other minerals and is found in many common materials like concrete, bricks and ceramics to name a few. Exposure commonly occurs when a dust is created when working with materials containing silica.
• Smoke Detectors - Did you know that smoke alarms must be replaced every 10 years? Also, when smoke alarms fail to operate, it is usually because batteries are missing, disconnected, or dead. Please check the age of your smoke detector and change your batteries annually!
• Newsletters - The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry has recently published two newsletters, MN OSHA’s “Safety Lines” and Workers’ Compensation’s “COMPACT.” You can subscribe to both newsletters on their respective websites.
• Safety Grants - Need some funds to pay for a safety improvement? Take advantage of Minnesota OSHA Workplace Safety Consultation (WSC) Safety Grant Program.
• Recall - Samsung has issued a recall for all the Galaxy Note 7 cell phones due to overheating issues. If you own one, Samsung recommends you immediately power it down and contact the carrier or retail outlet where you purchased it.
• Deer - Deer-vehicle crashes peak in the autumn months. An important safety tip for drivers is to never veer for deer — swerving can take a motorist into oncoming traffic or off the road.

Upcoming Events

• Flu Shot Clinics are taking place now!
• Benefit Open Enrollment is October 26 through November 8, 2016.
• Check out available safety training on the Minnesota Safety Council training calendar.
• Northwest Chapter American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Professional Development Conference is February 14, 2017.

Observance

• Winter Weather Awareness week is November 14-18, 2016.

Take Pictures After Workers' Compensation Injuries Occur

By: Gary Westman, Program Manager Workers' Compensation

As part of your agency’s investigation of workplace injuries, we recommend that you take pictures of injury locations, especially those involving slips, trips and falls.

The power of pictures can help accurately capture environmental factors present when injuries occur. A picture can always be referred back to for help identifying the environmental factors that might have contributed to the injury.

Without a picture, we are oftentimes left to what people remember. And, as good as we think our memories might be, it is a well-established fact that people choose to remember very different details about events even when two people witness the same event. As time passes, specific details can be lost or altered, completely changing the real facts.

Please read on about the key considerations when taking photos to document a workers' compensation claim.

Attacking Slip, Trip, and Falls

By: Todd Christenson, Program Manager Safety and Loss Control

Maybe you already know, but I suspect it may come as a surprise to many of you to learn that slip, trip, fall injuries are reported as the most frequent cause of injury in the recently published FY2015 Workers' Compensation Annual Report. Nearly 20 percent of all workers’ compensation claims in FY2015 were slip, trip, falls, with a projected cost of $2.9 million in benefit payments. That’s one year alone. As a matter of fact, slip, trip, falls have been the top cause of injuries identified in the past three annual reports and data suggests the same for FY2016.

Yes it is true that slip, trip, falls is a broad category and includes such injuries as falls from heights, vehicles, and materials, but it also may surprise you to learn that more than 50 percent of slip, trip, falls involves the walking surface or stairs. And b

Being in Minnesota, it is easy to assume that these falls are all occurring in the winter. Actually, the data suggests otherwise, with only 50 percent occurring December through March.

Please read on to learn how the Risk Management Division has been working on several fronts to attack slip, trip, falls.

Property and Casualty Adds Dedicated Loss Control Staff

By: Todd Christenson, Program Manager Property and Casualty and Loss Control

Risk Management Division’s Property & Casualty Program would like to welcome Adam Bald as our property and casualty loss control and fleet safety specialist.