You would assume that this far into the pandemic work from home setups have become sophisticated, but that is not necessarily the case. At first, employees thought this was temporary, therefore did not put a lot of effort into their setup. Also, it is still hard to find some types of office furniture and accessories due to the demand. In this session at RIMS 2021, Lisa Orr from Sedgwick discussed the essentials for putting ergonomics into practice while working from home. 1. Laptop Essentials. If working solely on a laptop, the proper setup for typing puts the monitor too low
(Read the full article…)

As a risk management professional, how do you improve the capability and capacity of your team members to better manage, identify and assess risks your organization may face? In this session at RIMS 2021, Andrew Bent, Director of Business Continuity & Insurance at Sage Group plc, draws on the coaching experiences of great baseball managers to elevate organizational risk management success. Bringing Your Organization Home As the baseball great, Yogi Berra once said, “Baseball is ninety-percent mental and the other half is physical” and the same could certainly be said for risk management. All good coaches share something intrinsic—knowledge of
(Read the full article…)

Terrorism treats have evolved over the years. In the past, they involved large orchestrated attacks by known organizations that plotted to cause massive property damage on marquee properties. As terrorist networks disperse, “lone wolves” now focus on soft targets, using hand-held weapons to cause mass casualties. Despite smaller scale events, losses remain extensive. In this session at RIMS 2021, Fergus Critchley from Willis Towers Watson highlighted three main areas of innovation in which the insurance market has responded. 1. Product Innovation Insurance coverage has evolved to meet changing trends. Specialty stand-alone terrorism policies provide broader coverage than most government options,
(Read the full article…)

Chick-fil-A has built success on the tenants of a strong corporate culture, focusing on driving a positive experience, not just for their customers but for their employees too. This session at RIMS 2021 analyzed how Chick-fil-A’s corporate purpose has been built into their claims program to provide the best experience possible for their injured workers. Speakers included: Steve Figliuolo, Principal Program Lead of Claims, Chick-fil-A Kimberly George, Global Head of Product Development and Innovation, Sedgwick Establishing Meaningful Corporate Culture After struggling for some time to in the 1980s, Chick-fil-A’s corporate leadership sought to redesign their mission, and the outcome was
(Read the full article…)

Mental and behavioral health needs are on the rise. This is especially true for essential workers on the front lines, who are at the greatest risk for the emotional toll that daily exposure to COVID can create. This session at RIMS 2021 highlighted the guidance, tools and support needed to take a proactive, engaged stance in addressing collective trauma. Speakers included: Beth Burry, Senior Vice President, Case Management, Clinically Integrated Programs, Sedgwick Mark Debus, Behavioral Health Team Lead, Sedgwick Essential workers are facing some mental health enormous challenges right now. They are on the front lines every day, seeing COVID
(Read the full article…)

Autonomous vehicle technologies can improve driver behaviors and ultimately eliminate collisions. In this session at RIMS 2021, Rich Bleser, SVP – Fleet Safety and Specialty Practice Leader for Marsh Advisory shares insight into the value of advanced technologies for fleets of all sizes and demographics. Current State of the Fleet Environment With a rise in commerce and a lack of drivers to accommodate demand needs, fleets are seeing a rise in collision settlements, traffic fatalities and insurance costs. To combat these issues, proactive fleet operators are enhancing their efforts through better driver selection and driving practices, and investing in safety
(Read the full article…)

Even before the pandemic, presumption laws for first responders were becoming ubiquitous. However, questions remain about whether these laws are being led by science or sympathy and how we should treat similar risks and exposures for employees not favored by presumptions. In this session at WCIvirtual 2020, panelists gave a realistic assessment of whether some states’ measures for rebutting presumptions are actually increasing already questionable financial burdens on employers. The panel tackles these issues from all sides: bench, bar, physician and claims. Panelists included: Kip Kubin – Attorney & President of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Neel Shah, MD
(Read the full article…)

In day two of this two-day session at WCIvirtual 2020, law firms from the Workers’ Compensation Defense Institute (WCDI) discussed various employee injury trends and related laws in their states.   Panelists Included: Caitlin Beyl – Attorney at McConnaughhay, Coonrod, Pope, Weaver & Stern, PA Christopher McCue – Attorney at McConnaughhay, Coonrod, Pope, Weaver & Stern, PA Martine Cumbermack – Attorney at Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers, LLP Rich Lenkov – Attorney at Bryce Downey & Lenkov, LLC Jennifer Morris Jones – Attorney at Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog, LLP Regan Cobb – Attorney at Holder Padgett Littlejohn & Prickett, LLC
(Read the full article…)

In day one of this two-day session at WCIvirtual 2020, law firms from the Workers’ Compensation Defense Institute (WCDI) discussed various employee injury trends and related laws in their states. Panelists included: Kyle K. Kinney – Miller, Christie & Kinney, PC (moderator) Emily Edwards – Manning & Kass, LLP – California Walter E. Harding – Boehl, Stopher & Graves, LLP – Kentucky Jeffrey C. Napolitano – Guilbeau, Ruli & Frieman – Louisiana James M. Anderson – Anderson, Crawley & Burke, PLLC – Mississippi Jordan Ensley – Latham, Steele, Lehman, PC – Oklahoma Robert D. Stokes – Flahive, Ogden & Latson
(Read the full article…)

In this session at WCIvirtual 2020, panelists discussed examples of various workers’ compensation cases and ways that this case law can be applied. Speakers included: E. Louis Stern – McConnaughhay, Coonrod, Pope, Weaver & Stern, PA (moderator) Geoffrey Bichler – Bichler, Oliver, Longo & Fox, PLLC Marc Golden – Rosenthal, Levy, Simon & Sosa, PA David Beach – Rissman, Barrett, Hurt, Donahue, McLain & Mangan, PA Mark Zientz – Law Offices of Mark L. Zientz, PA Attorney’s Fees: This practice is becoming extremely technical and strict, whether it is following code or completing the correct forms. There is no safe
(Read the full article…)