Donna Motley
Vice President of Claims

By the time you are reading this, we will be into the New Year – 2025! Employees will be returning to work after spending time with family and loved ones. A new year and hopefully a new start to all things good!

What isn’t new in 2025, will be ice and snow resulting in slips and falls. Falling can result in broken bones, concussions, bruised and pulled muscles. As adults, when falling, it is instinct to stick out an arm to try and “break” the fall. What results is a broken bone, dislocated shoulder or torn rotator cuff.

Also, with ice and snow comes slippery roads and motor vehicle accidents. People may be more inclined to celebrate the holidays with alcohol and marijuana. Cooking can even result in an injury – burns or lacerations from cooking and carving that turkey. Lacerations from opening packages or cutting down boxes that held a gift. Included in food related incidents can be allergic reactions or food/alcohol poisoning.

Putting up that tree and outdoor lights, then having to take everything down can easily have us on a ladder – hopefully observing common safety standards. But are we as safety conscious at home as we are at work?

After all the rushing prior to and through the holidays, people are more inclined to be tired or distracted.

Carrying all those packages or putting together bikes or toys can result in sprains and strains, lacerations or smashed fingers.

The bottom line to all the possibilities that can occur at home is that you also bring the results of these accidents or incidents into the workplace when you return to work. As an employer, be on the lookout for possible “pre- existing” injuries when a work related injury is reported. Workers’ Compensation will always question a Monday morning injury, particularly following a holiday, vacation or reported “sick day”. All claims are investigated for reasonableness and causal relationship. If the method in which an injury is alleged to have occurred is not feasible, there is a good chance the claim will be disputed.

Accidents happen at home as well as at work. Your Workers’ Compensation carrier has no objection paying for an injury that is truly the result of a work incident. Don’t let that home injury turn into a work injury!