Author: Patty Busse

Increasing blue light exposure has a dark side

Posted on by Patty Busse

The use of electronic devices has become almost inevitable in our daily lives. For the majority of employees working in corporate settings, nearly the entire workday is spent looking at computer screens. Could this amount of screen time be detrimental to our health? Researchers say it’s possible.

What are the effects of blue light exposure?

Back-lit digital devices like computers, tablets and smart phones all emit blue light, a high-energy, short wavelength visible to the human eye. Emerging research shows that blue light does have physical effects on the body, though few of them are positive.

Relatively short exposure to blue light can temporarily stimulate the brain and improve mood. Prolonged exposure, however, is likely to damage retinal cells over time and may contribute to the development of:

  • Eye strain
  • Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
  • Cataracts
  • Nearsightedness
  • Sleep disruption
  • Mood disorders

Findings from a recent Harvard University study name High Energy Visible blue light, the type of light emitted by most digital devices, as the most dangerous light to the human eye. As the world becomes increasingly digitized, blue light exposure will likely remain an ongoing threat.

How can employees protect themselves from blue light exposure?

Fortunately, there are several ways to reduce digital eye strain and ultimately protect against long-term damage.

Research shows that staring at a screen for an extended period of time reduces blink rate, which often leads to dry, tired eyes. According to The Vision Council, employees in office settings can prevent this by using a strategy they call, “the 20-20-20 rule.” Every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and look at something 20 feet away.

It’s a natural tendency to lean forward when looking at computer screens. Try to be mindful of the habit and do your best to straighten your posture. The ideal sitting position keeps eyes a full arm’s length from the screen.

Some have also found relief by using blue light glasses. With lenses designed to shield your eyes from harmful rays, these glasses may reduce eyestrain and brain stimulation, ultimately leading to improved sleep quality.

Experts also suggest reducing screen brightness as much as possible. Darkening the screen lowers the intensity of light taken in by your eyes. If the brightness can’t be adjusted, consider purchasing a tinted film to apply to the screen itself. Additionally, if you’re working with a device that features multiple light modes, the preset “night mode” produces significantly less blue light than others, making it the safest option for your eyes.

Tips to cut down on virtual meeting fatigue

Posted on by Patty Busse

The coronavirus pandemic has affected the workplace in many ways, including a shift to virtual meetings.

People are also using video calls outside of work to keep up with friends and family.

Video call fatigue

A recent study by global staffing firm Robert Half indicates that workers may be suffering from video call fatigue.

Among the 1,000 people surveyed, 76% said they participate in virtual meetings and that they spend about one-third of their workday in front of a camera. That time really adds up, as more people observe that not having in-person meetings allows individuals to fill their schedule with more meetings each day.

As a result, 38% of respondents said they have experienced video call fatigue since the beginning of the pandemic. Those surveyed said their main video call pet peeves include dealing with technical issues and having too many meeting participants with people talking over one another.

SFM Chief Information Officer Chad Hagedorn oversees everything technical at the SFM offices. The Information Services department that he manages has worked tirelessly since the beginning of quarantine to provide employees with the equipment they need to work from home. That has included webcams and headsets so employees can video call.

“People may get used to video conferencing in the long term, so the frustration may go down,” Hagedorn said. “But in the meantime, individuals can take some steps to make the whole experience better.”

Hagedorn shared these best practices for virtual meetings:

  • Test your setup ahead of each meeting. This usually takes a minute or two, but can save you from missing a meeting or joining late if you have to do a little unanticipated troubleshooting.
  • Use the same equipment each time you join a virtual meeting. Having a familiarity with your computer, camera, microphone and the virtual meeting application makes the process go smoother. The same goes for mobile devices and tablets.
  • Request to have virtual meeting applications installed onto your work computer. The desktop versions of these applications, such as Zoom, GoToMeeting and WebEx, usually include more features than the web-based connections. If possible, have your IT department install them onto your company-provided computer.
  • Limit the guest list. Keep the meeting group as small as possible to allow for better communication among participants and to reduce the opportunity for people to talk over each other. Requesting that participants raise their hand when they want to talk can also help improve the quality of communication during a video call.
  • Find a quiet location before you start up your camera and microphone. Noises in the background are unnecessary distractions during meetings. If you can’t control your environment, it’s a good idea to keep your microphone on mute until you need to talk.

Create boundaries and a routine

Individuals working from home may find themselves clocking more hours than ever in front of a computer screen, simply because there are fewer reasons to get up and move away from their desk.

Hagedorn suggested the following tips to help you organize some breaks for yourself and optimize your workspace:

  • Switch your monitors to the “night light” setting to reduce the blue light emitted by the screens. Macs and PCs both offer this option under display settings.
  • Set up your desk to be ergonomically correct, so you prevent injury from hours of sitting and working with repetitive motion.
  • Stand up and stretch every hour, and go for walks during your breaks.
  • Set your office hours within your work email calendar and stick to them.
  • Block off a few periods during a busy day so you have time outside of meetings to work on other things, or take breaks and stretch.
  • Establish boundaries between work and home. Close your office door when you’re done for the day, or turn off your monitors and silence your work phone if your home office is in your living area.

“That 30 minute drive home was the separation period people needed to mentally wind down after work,” Hagedorn said. “We forget how important it was to take that time and observe the physical separation from the office and the break from screens.”

Read our blog on ergonomic safety tips when working from home to learn more about how to set up your home office so it is safe and comfortable.

Subrogation: When third parties bear responsibility for work injuries

Posted on by Patty Busse

By Tom Davern, Esq., Senior Defense Counsel with Lynn, Scharfenberg and Hollick, and Julie Bischoff, Senior Subrogation and Special Investigations Representative

When one of your employees is injured in the course and scope of employment and a negligent third party bears some responsibility, we can sometimes recover a portion or all of the workers’ compensation claim costs from the responsible party through subrogation.

Each of SFM’s core states have different workers’ compensation subrogation laws, but the basic principles are the same across the board. If a third party’s negligence causes a work injury to some significant degree, there is a possible subrogation claim. The employer and insurer have to prove negligence, causation and damages.

When we recover claim costs, it lowers the impact that the claim has on future workers’ compensation premiums by mitigating the hit to the employer’s experience modification factor (e-mod). In 2020, our Subrogation Team recovered more than $1.5 million. In many cases, SFM recovers 100% of what was paid on the claim. In fact, full recovery was received on over 50% of the subrogation claims in 2020. A complete recovery is most likely when there is no liability dispute and the injury is not serious enough to allow or motivate an employee to pursue a personal injury claim. If the employee pursues a claim for damages against the third party, it usually results in a partial recovery for the employer and insurer.

Common recovery scenarios

Motor vehicle accidents, slip-and-fall injuries and dog bites are just three types of claims where we can often make subrogation recoveries.

For example, if a pizza delivery driver is hit by a drunk driver, we may be able to recover the workers’ compensation benefits paid from the at-fault driver’s insurer.

If there is provable negligence, slip-and-fall claims can result in a subrogation recovery; however, these have to be carefully analyzed on a case-by-case basis. There is not going to be a viable claim if a slip and fall happened in a parking lot during a blizzard, but if a vendor spilled oil in a hallway and failed to clean it up, there may be a claim.

If a dog bites a home health care worker or delivery person at a customer’s home, we may be able to recover costs from the individual’s homeowners or rental insurance policy. SFM also pursues product liability claims, medical malpractice and restitution in criminal matters.

How employers can help

If you have a claim that has recovery potential, your claims representative or someone from our Subrogation Team may reach out for assistance in the investigation. It is helpful to gather and preserve any available evidence in cases that may have recovery potential.

Anytime you think a third party could be responsible for a work injury, let your claims representative know. SFM aggressively pursues recoveries on behalf of our policyholders when another party is at fault.

Common requests for subrogation claims

  • Motor vehicle accident: Police report, photographs of the property damage or scene, third-party driver/insurance information, and video of the incident (if available)
  • Dog bites: Name and address of the dog owner and police or incident report
  • Slip, trip and fall: Photographs of the area of the fall, any available video (we also recommend reporting the incident to the property owner)
  • Assault: Whether criminal charges were filed, and if so, the name of the assailant
  • Product liability claims: Secure the product and provide owner manuals, maintenance records, purchase receipts and manufacturer information (for equipment malfunctions, we recommend also taking photos and keeping any broken equipment)

Work injuries 101: Reporting injuries and supporting workers

Posted on by Patty Busse

No one starts out their day expecting a work injury.

On-the-job injuries are unanticipated, urgent and unfortunate for everyone involved, but there are best practices you can follow to make a bad situation better for you and your injured employee.

When to report work injuries

One key step is to report any work injury as soon as you can. Reporting immediately helps workers’ compensation claims go more smoothly for a number of reasons, including:

  • Employees get any needed care right away
  • Workers’ compensation benefits are paid promptly
  • The carrier has time to review and submit the injury to the state

To make this happen, employees and their supervisors must be trained to identify work injuries and report them immediately. If a supervisor sees an injury occur, or hears about it in another way, in many states the employer is required to report the injury. This is true even if an employee does not formally report a work injury, in most states. In South Dakota, employees are required to report injuries to their employers within a specified time period.

We recommend reporting all work injuries, even if they are so minor they do not require medical attention. This way if the injury worsens over time and does lead to a doctor visit or time off, you will have captured information needed to manage the claim.

Reporting incident-only work injuries (injuries which do not lead to medical or lost-time expenses) does not impact your experience modification factor (e-mod).

How to report work injuries

When you’re ready to report an injury to SFM you have a number of options, but the two most common methods are by phone and online.

You can call the SFM Work Injury Hotline anytime at (855) 675-3501 to report work injuries. Here are a few tips for reporting via the hotline:

  • We now offer a streamlined report-only option during business hours (7 a.m. – 4 p.m., M-F) for situations where the employee does not need to speak with a nurse. We recommend choosing the nurse option when the employee is unsure whether to seek medical treatment. (Calls outside of normal business hours will automatically go to a nurse.)
  • If a supervisor is not available, an employee can call the SFM Work Injury Hotline alone.
  • If the employee has already received medical treatment or is not available for the call, we recommend choosing the report-only option (Option 1) during business hours.

You can also report online on our website (sfmic.com) anytime. You do not need to log in to report injuries online. You just need your policy number. This is a fast and easy choice. Many employers opt to report online in cases where the worker has already received medical care.

For more information on reporting injuries, visit sfmic.com/report and download a copy of our claim packet.

Understanding the injury

After a work injury occurs, it’s important to figure out what happened and what you can do to prevent similar injuries in the future.

You can analyze a work injury in four steps:

  • Collect data: Talk to witnesses, take pictures and review maintenance and training records.
  • Identify the causes: Determine whether equipment, risky behavior, inadequate training, lack of personal protective equipment, the work environment, or other factors were to blame in causing the injury.
  • Analyze the findings: Examine all the facts and distinguish between the immediate causes (such as a broken ladder rung) and underlying causes (such as lack of training).
  • Develop a plan: Identify the steps to prevent similar injuries in the future.

For more information on accident analysis and a worksheet to guide you through the process, download our Accident analysis CompTalk from the resource catalog on sfmic.com.

How to assist employees who are recovering from injuries

When employees are off work due to on-the-job injuries, it’s important to show concern right away and stay in contact until the employee returns to work. When employers don’t reach out, employees can feel isolated and worry that they will not have a job to return to.

We recommend bringing employees back to work as soon as possible, even if you have to modify their regular job or provide light-duty work to accommodate medical restrictions. Bringing employees back to work as soon as you can helps them:

  • Recover faster
  • Stay in the routine of working
  • Feel productive
  • Maintain workplace relationships

This also helps keep wage-loss benefits down, which helps limit the impact of the injury on your future workers’ compensation premiums.

Work injuries are better prevented, but when they do occur, your SFM team is here to help. Your claims representative is always available to guide you through the process and answer any questions. You can also find more resources in the Employers section of sfmic.com.

When an employee is injured, these resources can help

Reporting injuries to OSHA vs. your work comp insurer

Posted on by Patty Busse

You probably already know that you must report all workplace injuries to your workers’ compensation insurer. But in some cases you must also report the injury to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) .

Injuries that must be reported directly to OSHA

You must report the following types of injuries directly to OSHA:

  • Work-related fatalities occurring within 30 days of the incident must be reported to OSHA within eight hours
  • Work-related inpatient hospitalizations, amputations and losses of an eye occurring within 24 hours of the incident must be reported to OSHA within 24 hours. You can read more information about the definition of an amputation and loss of an eye in this OSHA Interpretation Letter and on the OSHA Reporting webpage in the FAQs .

In addition, Minnesota employers must contact Minnesota OSHA for a report of injury to an employee operating a mechanical power press . The form can be printed and faxed or mailed to the Minnesota Department of Labor.

How to report injuries to OSHA

Here’s state-specific contact information to report a fatality or severe injury to OSHA:

  • Minnesota: Call (877) 470-6742 from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. To report an incident after business hours, call the federal office at (800) 321-OSHA (6742)
  • Iowa: Call (877) 242-6742 or fill out the Incident Report Form and fax it to (515) 281-7995 or email osha@iwd.iowa.gov.
  • Wisconsin, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska: Call the Federal OSHA office at (800) 321-OSHA (6742) or the closest area office if it is during business hours. You can also report online .

Some employers required to keep injury logs

OSHA also requires that certain types of businesses maintain injury logs . All employers in the state of Minnesota with 11 or more full- or part-time employees, regardless of industry or NAICS code, must maintain a log.

Requirements to maintain a log in other states depend on the industry. Low-hazard industries are excluded and you can view the list on the OSHA recordkeeping webpage  (under “FAQs on who must keep records”).

When recording injuries on the OSHA 300 log, there are a few key differences between reporting work injuries to your insurer and OSHA to keep in mind:

  • Injuries should be reported to your insurer immediately regardless of seriousness, but for OSHA, only fatalities and the severe injuries listed above must be reported right away.
  • You should report all injuries to your insurer, even those that don’t require medical attention; however, not all injuries reported to your insurer will meet the definition of an OSHA recordable injury or illness. All OSHA recordable injuries must be recorded on the log within seven calendar days of occurrence. View the OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Requirements  for more information on how OSHA defines a recordable injury or illness and first aid.
  • State workers’ compensation regulations have a waiting period to determine when a claim becomes lost time, but OSHA does not have a waiting period. OSHA counts calendar days beginning the day after the incident occurs for Days Away from Work cases and Restricted Work or Transfer cases.
  • OSHA’s Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses , detailing injuries from the previous year, must be posted annually from February 1 to April 30 in a place where employees can see it, even if there were no recordable work-related injuries or illnesses during the year.
  • You may also be required to submit the Form 300A to OSHA electronically. See our blog post on OSHA’s electronic reporting requirements for employers for more information.

While reporting to your insurer and OSHA are typically two separate things, there is one area where they overlap. The First Report of Injury form generated when you file a workers’ compensation claim can serve as a substitute for the OSHA 301  form in some states, including Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Where to find more information on OSHA recordkeeping

Recordkeeping can be confusing at times, especially with the differences between OSHA and workers’ compensation. The OSHA website on recordkeeping and reporting requirements is a good resource. If you’re an SFM policyholder, your SFM loss prevention representative can also help answer any questions about recordkeeping.

This is not intended to serve as legal advice for individual fact-specific legal cases or as a legal basis for your employment practices.

How your workers’ comp e-mod is calculated

Posted on by Patty Busse

If you want to lower your workers’ compensation premium, it’s worth learning about a little number called your e-mod.

Why? Because your premium is determined, in part, by your e-mod — and it’s one factor you can actually manage.

So what does e-mod stand for?

E-mod is short for experience modifier or experience modification factor.

The experience modification factor is a multiplier used to calculate your workers’ compensation premium. It shows how your organization’s workers’ compensation claims experience compares to other businesses similar in size and types of jobs.

If your claims history is average among similar businesses, your e-mod will be 1.0. If your e-mod is:

  • above 1.0 it means your business’ claims history is worse than your peers.
  • below 1.0 it means your business’ claims history is better than your peers.

An e-mod less than 1.0 directly reduces the premium amount you pay. The lower your e-mod, the greater the reduction.

That’s the short answer. The longer answer is valuable to know if you want to really take control of your workers’ compensation costs.

What goes into the e-mod calculation?

The e-mod usually takes into account three years of claims history, excluding the most recent policy year. For example, the e-mod for a policy period beginning January 1, 2023, includes claim costs for the policy periods beginning:

  • January 1, 2021
  • January 1, 2020
  • January 1, 2019

Who determines your e-mod?

A state or national rating bureau — not your insurer — calculates experience modification factors.

Depending on your state, either your state rating bureau (such as the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Insurers Association or the Wisconsin Workers’ Compensation Rating Bureau) or the National Council on Compensation Insurance determines your e-mod. These data collection organizations use statewide claim data to calculate expected losses for different types of operations.

They also calculate individual employ­ers’ e-mods using the claims cost data reported by insurers.

Your data collection organization recalculates your e-mod each year about 90 days prior to your policy renewal date and reports it to you and your workers’ compensation insurer.

Who gets assigned an e-mod?

Not every business is large enough to have an e-mod.

Your workers’ compensation premium has to be above a certain dollar threshold specified by your state before your organization will be assigned an e-mod. This minimum premium amount is usually around $3,000-$7,000.

Which claims costs are excluded from the e-mod?

Not all claims costs are included in the e-mod calculation.

If a claim is medical-only (meaning the employee doesn’t miss any work time due to the injury, or returns to work within the state waiting period), only 30 percent of the claim costs are included in the e-mod calculation. That’s one of the many reasons for a strong return-to-work program.

If the claim is larger, typically involving lost time, there is a discounted rate for losses over a certain amount. This is known as the split point, and is set by each state. For example, in Minnesota in 2023, the split point is $18,500. That means that when the e-mod is calculated, less weight is given to a claim’s dollars over $18,500.

Where to find your e-mod

If your organization is large enough to have an experience modifier and you’re an SFM policyholder, you can find it in three places.

  1. The official notice you receive from your rating bureau each year prior to your policy renewal date
  2. Your SFM policy information page
  3. In CompOnline under the “Policy” tab, on the “Policy information” screen

How to calculate your e-mod yourself

You may want to try to figure out what your e-mod will be following a significant claim, or test out “what if” scenarios.

Each state rating agency calculates e-mods differently, so this isn’t always easy.

The Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Insurers Association offers a free Minnesota Experience Modification calculator . The Wisconsin Compensation Rating Bureau and National Council on Compensation Insurance (rating agency for Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and South Dakota) offer similar tools for a fee.

To learn more about the e-mod calculation formula in your state, see the following resources:

Keeping an eye on your e-mod is a good habit that will help you understand and then work on lowering your workers’ compensation premium.

Learn more in SFM’s E-mods CompTalk .

Four quick tips for safe snow shoveling this winter

Posted on by Patty Busse

If your work duties include snow removal, you know that icy conditions can lead to slip-and-fall injuries.

You do your best to keep the sidewalks and parking lots free of ice and snow. You care about preventing injuries for everyone who visits your building.

It’s just as important to be mindful about preventing injuries that can happen during snow removal.

Follow these four tips to reduce the risk of injuries while shoveling snow, so you can get back inside safely.

Four tips for safe snow removal

1. Start by being physically ready

Before getting ready to shovel snow, our bodies need to be ready to handle the job safely to avoid injury or significant discomfort. The risks that go along with shoveling include “a potential for exhaustion, dehydration, back injuries, or heart attacks,” according to OSHA .

Before and during shoveling, remember to:

  • Drink plenty of water for hydration
  • Warm up: Stretch your arms, shoulders, back and legs
  • Understand your physical limitations and do not push beyond them

If you have any underlying health conditions that might make shoveling risky for you, strongly consider asking for help or seek other alternatives.

2. Prevent slips and falls due to ice

Check for icy spots first and take care of them immediately. Be aware that other icy spots may be hidden by snow.

Wear boots and/or traction footwear to significantly reduce the chances of slips and falls. Vendors like Due North offer traction footwear products.

3. Use proper shoveling techniques

Good technique will reduce the chance for injury when shoveling, especially to your back and shoulders. It’s also a way to reduce the chance of slipping and falling.

Be sure to:

  • Push the shovel with your strong leg muscles, not your arms and shoulders.
  • Try to push the snow instead of lifting it.
  • If you must lift the snow, lift the shovel just like you lift anything else – keep your knees bent, feet wide and head up. Work to maintain the neutral curve in your lower back.
  • Keep one foot ahead of the other. This will give you more power and produce far less strain on your lower back.
  • Keep your arms as close to your body as pos­sible for power, stability and to reduce strain.
  • Avoid twisting your upper body. Keep your feet in alignment with your torso.

4. Take it slow in the snow

Work at a safe pace to help avoid injury. Working too fast may cause you to slip and fall more often or tire quickly. And when you’re tired, you may forget to use proper techniques, which could cause discomfort or pain.

Take short breaks when shoveling and don’t over-exert yourself or allow yourself to overheat.

Combined, following these four tips for safer snow shoveling can reduce the risk of slips, falls and other injuries this winter.

More winter safety resources

For more helpful winter safety tips, see SFM’s other resources:

Easy way to avoid winter falls: Step down, not out.

Posted on by Patty Busse

A quarter of winter slip-and-fall injuries reported to SFM occur in parking lots. These injuries are often severe and affect all kinds of businesses.

Encourage your employees to use the “Step down, not out” method to avoid falls while getting out of their vehicles and stepping off curbs. Step down with both feet when getting out of a vehicle and step flat footed from a curb to reduce your chance of slipping.

Watch the video for a demonstration of this simple but effective method for avoiding winter falls.

How to step down, not out of a vehicle

  1. Swing both legs out to the side.
  2. Place both feet, flat footed, on the ground.
  3. Grab onto the door frame or steering wheel to help support yourself to a standing position.
  4. Use at least three points of contact—two feet and one hand—a practice used by professional drivers.

Walking safely off a curb

  1. Shorten your steps. Do not step too far out.
  2. Step flat footed off the curb. This minimizes your forward momentum. It also helps ensure your leading foot doesn’t land heel-first and result in a slip.

 

Download this penguin poster to spread the word at your workplace.

Iowa commissioner deems rotator cuff a ‘shoulder’ injury

Posted on by Patty Busse

Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Joseph Cortese determined that an injury to a muscle in the rotator cuff is considered a shoulder injury for the purpose of determining permanent partial disability benefits.

This is important because shoulder injuries are listed on the state’s workers’ compensation schedule, which provides a formula to calculate permanent partial disability benefits for listed body parts. This makes it much simpler to determine the dollar amount of benefits owed.

This determination was made in the case of Mary Deng vs. Farmland Foods, Inc., and reversed a previous decision of a deputy commissioner.

MN Supreme Court addresses workers’ compensation case

Posted on by Patty Busse

The Minnesota Supreme Court addressed the rights of intervenors in workers’ compensation proceedings in the August 12, 2020, decision of Koehnen v. Flagship Marine Company and Auto Owners Insurance Company.

The outcome of the case provided some certainty in the workers’ compensation system by confirming that intervenors risk losing their right to recover payments, or other interests, if they decline to participate in the proceedings. Intervenors are third parties who provide services or paid benefits to or on behalf of an injured worker.

In this case, Keith Johnson, D.C. was provided with notice of the right to intervene and chose not to do so in a pending workers’ compensation proceeding. The employee went on to settle his claim with the employer and insurer, and the intervention interests were resolved with the settlement.

A Workers’ Compensation Judge at the Office of Administrative Hearings then issued an award that extinguished the right for Johnson to recover payments, and shortly thereafter, the chiropractor filed a petition for payment of medical expenses.

The employee, the employer and insurer filed motions to dismiss, which the Compensation Judge granted. Johnson then appealed the decision all the way to the Minnesota Supreme Court after the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals affirmed the order dismissing Johnson’s petition.

The Court found that the chiropractor chose not to be a party to the case and pursue reimbursement when he failed to participate in the case proceedings. The appellate courts affirmed the chiropractor had no authority or standing to file a petition for reimbursement under the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Act, or to challenge the ruling that extinguished the chiropractor’s potential intervention interest.

In the end, the Court held that an intervenor who is properly notified of their right to intervene in a workers’ compensation proceeding must either intervene or potentially have their reimbursement rights taken away.

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