By Donna Motley, Vice President of Claims

Studies have indicated that the longer a person is off work due to a work related injury, the less likely they are to return to productive employment. Once (physical) restrictions are imposed by the treating physician, an employer has the decision to make whether or not they will let the injured worker return to work with those limitations. For the office worker that is given the restriction of “sit down work only” or the machine operator that is restricted to “no lifting over 50 pounds” and his regular job does not require any lifting or only lifting up to 10 pounds, the decision to return the employee to work is not that difficult. As indicated, a return to work policy is beneficial for the employee as they remain productive members of society, and the employer, as it does not impede work flow and will aid in limiting their Workers’ Compensation exposure. Bringing an employee back to work with restrictions also sends a message to all employees that being injured at work will not result in a paid vacation!

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By Travis Halsted, Loss Control Consultant

As the desire to minimize business costs grow, the availability to have employees designated to maintain housekeeping and cleanliness has diminished. Sadly, slip, trip, and fall hazards have provided a staggering number of 25,000 incidents daily. Since 2009, MTMIC has spent approximately $11.5 million on injuries resulting from a slip, trip, fall, and/or debris on the walking surface. General housekeeping and cleanliness plays a vital role in reducing the possibility of these types of injuries.

Injuries that can be attributed to slips, trips and falls can include lacerations, contusions, punctures, fractures, and strains. Strains from slips, trips, and falls accounted for $4.1 million of the $11.5 million spent on these types of injuries.

Some important aspects to remember when analyzing your workplace for any slip, trip and fall hazards is to:

• Keep electrical cords and air hoses out of traffic areas.
• Remove clutter (boxes, excessive raw material, trash, chemical containers) from traffic areas.
• Immediately clean up any spills
• Place a wet floor sign when area is cleaned using a mop.
• Make sure that traffic areas are properly lit as a person will trip over what they can’t see.
• Regularly inspect traffic areas for damages and hazards (chipped floor coverings, cracked and/or missing concrete, and uneven levels of walking surfaces.)
• Complete an audit of spill response and spill response measures.
• Complete walk-throughs of the work area focusing on general cleanliness.
• Mark any changes in walking surface elevations by either using a highly visible paint or tape that shows a hazard.

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By Chris Doebler, CPA, Chief Financial Officer

Did you know that you can make your monthly premium payments without ever having to write or mail a check? Over 1/3 of our policyholders remit over 1/3 of our monthly premiums via AutoPay, and you can too! Your payments will be spread over 12 months instead of 10 and will automatically be debited from your checking account on or about the 10th of each month. All you need to do is return the Authorization for AutoPay form that is included with your annual renewal package and we’ll take it from there. You can even sign up mid-year by directing us to take your remaining scheduled payments via AutoPay.

If you have any questions about AutoPay or wish to sign up and need an Authorization form email Chris Doebler at chris.doebler@MTMIC.com or call (248) 488-1172 ext 1012.

We hope you had a wonderful holiday. The holidays at MTMIC are always hectic. Over half of all our members’ renewal December and January. Because of this, there are many customer questions to answer, policy documents to send, new state regulatory posters and notices to send to all members. As we start our 39th year of service, this peak in MTMIC work is an annual tradition.

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By Glenda Moyle, Premium Accounting Manager

Wow, can you believe another year has gone by. And what that means is that it is final audit time for our January renewals which is coming up shortly. When we issued your policy, we based your premium on the estimated payrolls by class codes which you provided. Now the final audit will give us actual payrolls, by class codes, to see if you owe us more premium or we owe you a refund of premium. About half of our policyholders will be going through the annual audit process in the next few weeks/months and will be contacted by The Aprise Group by the end of January to schedule your audit.

When you received your renewal documents you should have received a one page flyer titled Guidelines for your Premium Audit. It also included the list of inclusions and exclusions that is used in the Remuneration as the Basis of Premium. Use these items for reference for your audit.

For over 30 years I have been helping you with this process and I continue to be ready should you have any questions.

By Donna Motley, Vice President of Claims

Injuries seem to run in cycles. During the course of the year, we will see a rash of a particular type of injury. At certain times, it will seem like we receive an above average amount of hernia claims, or shoulder injuries, or foot injuries, etc. This past November and December, we received an inordinate number of head and/or face/mouth injuries.

ANY injury to the head is serious. ANY injury to the head should be called in to us immediately. ANY injury to the head should be treated immediately. A visit to the occupational clinic is fine; if the clinic feels it is warranted, they will refer the injured worker to the emergency room where, most likely, a CT Scan may be performed. You want to avoid the employee indicating they are “fine”, then going home and deciding later that evening that they need medical treatment and they then go to the emergency room without authorization.

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By Ruth Kiefer, ARM, MSc, Loss Control Manager

I know we just came out of the season of giving, however, this is most likely something that your fellow employees don’t want to exchange, the dreaded flu. Having just experienced this sidelining virus myself, I must attest that my policyholders who I needed to visit, appreciated that fact that I didn’t come out to see them while I was sick. They graciously rescheduled our visit for the following week. Since there has been such an increase in flu cases, OSHA has provided a baseline infection control procedure for the seasonal flu. Employers should ensure that they have the most up-to-date information when making decisions about operations and planning.

What to do to protect yourself during flu season:

1) Vaccination is the most important way to prevent the spread of the flu

2) Stay at home if you are sick. The HHS/CDC recommends that workers who have a fever and respiratory symptoms stay at home until 24 hours after their fever ends (100 degrees Fahrenheit [37.8 degrees Celsius] or lower), without the use of medication. Not everyone who has the flu will have a fever. Other symptoms could include a runny nose, body aches, headache, tiredness, diarrhea, or vomiting.

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All State and Federal Labor Law posters have been mailed. If you did not receive them or need additional sets, please email Patty Allen at patricia.allen@mtmic.com/blog with requests for additional sets.

The MTMIC Board of Directors is pleased to inform you that at the last Board Meeting the Board Members unanimously passed a resolution setting the stage for a Policyholder’s Dividend in the first quarter of 2015. Final determination of the dividend will be made in February 2015 once the 12/31/14 financial results are finalized. It is anticipated that the Policyholder Dividend will be based on policyholder premiums paid with eligibility determined by account loss history. While we do not yet have year-end results and final determination of the dividend, the Board Resolution is the first step in the process of a Dividend Declaration for early 2015.

2014 MTMIC Annual Members meeting:

Location: St. John’s, Plymouth

Surveys were given to each attendee. The comment on the meeting location – all checked “Excellent”. Hand written comments added “St. John’s is Awesome”, “Very Nice, and “Keep the same location”. Food also had unanimous “Excellent” grading.

Our guest speakers were: Keith Castora, Workers Compensation Claims Magistrate and John Harris, President of Shadow Investigations. Both were informative. John had interesting investigations stories that were enjoyed by all. For full disclosure, a couple surveys commented that the audio system needed to be turned up for the Magistrate as he was soft spoken and hard to hear. We will have a more rapid response to the speaker system next year.

General comments about the meeting:

“The meeting location was beautiful. I enjoyed my first time at the annual members meeting.”

“I was happy I attended and wish I had come in the years past. It (the meeting) moved quickly and was time well spent. Also I enjoyed the networking opportunities with other members, including Board Members.”

“This was my first time attending the Annual Meeting and it was a very positive experience! The site, food spectacular and the hospitality was excellent. Looking forward to 2015.” The plans have already begun for next year as we have already reserved our meeting rooms at St. John’s. When it gets closer to the meeting date, we will give you specific information and hope you will put this on your list of things to do.

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By Donna Motley, Director of Claims

Medical expenses always seem to be on the rise. The Workers’ Compensation weekly benefit (the amount paid to the injured worker) usually increases annually even though it is based on the State Average Weekly Wage. Workers’ Compensation coverage is mandatory in the State of Michigan – part of the cost of doing business!

Once a Workers’ Compensation claim is turned in to our office, we take the reins and take control, attempting to minimize all the costs involved, the length of disability, and to assure a successful return of the injured worker to productivity. Everyone benefits. But, as an employer, there are things that you can do to help mitigate the expenses or costs on the claim.

Obviously, one of the most important things an employer can do, is report the claim As Soon As Possible! That way, we are controlling treatment (and costs) from the onset. As an employer, NEVER tell an injured worker to seek treatment with their primary care physician or a physician of their choosing. Any treatment outside the Occupational Clinic results in a delay in obtaining medical records that are required before authorization to treat can be rendered. If an employee is off work during this period – the cost of the claim has just increased significantly. If the injury is questionable and/or you are unsure of the direction that should be taken, PLEASE call our office for advice.

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By Chris Demeter, Senior Loss Control Consultant

OSHA has expanded the list of severe injuries & illnesses that employers must report and updated the list of industries who are partially exempt from routinely keeping OSHA records.

“OSHA will now receive crucial reports of fatalities and severe work-related injuries and illnesses that will significantly enhance the agency’s ability to target our resources to save lives and prevent further injury and illness. This new data will enable the agency to identify the workplaces where workers are at the greatest risk and target our compliance assistance and enforcement resources accordingly.”
— Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, Dr. David Michaels

For workplaces under Federal OSHA jurisdiction

• Final rule becomes effective January 1, 2015 For workplaces in State Plan States (MIOSHA)
• States encouraged to implement new coverage provisions on January 1, 2015, or as soon after as possible.

The rule expands the list of severe work-related injuries and illnesses that all covered employers must report.

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The MTMIC Marketing Staff are in the process of mailing out the updated State and Federal Labor Law Posters for 2015. Your company will be receiving them in the next couple of weeks. Contact Patty Allen at patricia.allen@mtmic.com/blog if you will be in need of more than one set of posters.

Please let us know if we can assist you in any manner and thank you for being a customer of MTMIC, we value your business.

It’s hard to believe summer is over and with that the MTMIC staff started the annual task of preparing for January 1 policy renewals. Nearly half of all MTMIC policy holders renew on January 1. I should mention that before we start the individual account review, some significant big issues are taken care of. The first is regarding an overall company rate change: great news is that since February 1, 2013 we have not had a rate increase. Secondly all employer experience modifications have been ordered from the state rating agency. When our policyholders talk about workflow peaks and valleys, we fully understand the challenges. For each renewal, we contact you or your broker for the 2015 estimated payrolls, we review current Loss Control reports, study loss history and contact you with any questions we might have. The end goal of this whole process is to make sure we properly renew your account and use all the available discounts you are entitled too. Thanks for your help in this process.

On another item, the MTMIC annual members meeting is going to occur on Thursday, October 16th. This year the meeting is being held at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth. The meeting begins at 11:30, wraps up by 1:30 and includes lunch. We promise to use your valuable time efficiently. Our guest speakers for this year are Workers’ Compensation Magistrate Keith Castora who will present an “Update on the Workers’ Compensation Mediation Process”. John Harris from Shadow Investigations, Inc is our second speaker and will discuss “Social Media Impact on Workers’ Compensation Investigations”. We think you will find their presentations interesting and helpful. We hope you will join us as all MTMIC staff will be in attendance.

By Donna Motley, Director of Claims

While scanning some publications, I came across an article that itemized “8 CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL W/C PROGRAM”. The original source of the article was Zurich American Insurance Company. Below we have modified the article to explain these characteristics and include ways MTMIC can help you with your programs. The characteristics were listed as follows:

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By Travis Halsted, Loss Control Consultant

Each year, millions of workers suffer workplace lacerations that could be prevented. From the use of improper tools, moving material unsafely, and inadequate personal protective equipment, employees suffer a great deal of avoidable injuries.

Through a review of the lacerations within MTMIC’s loss run history, the issue of laceration injuries is very apparent. Since 2009, 2,091, or 25% of the total 8,536 injury claims reported have been lacerations. Of those 2,091 laceration claims, 1,508, or 72%, were reported to have taken place on the hand (fingers, thumbs) of the injured employee.

Monetarily speaking, lacerations account for $4,401,735, or 10%, of the total $42,654,333 spent on workplace injuries by MTMIC since 2009. This percentage is only surpassed by fractures (12%) and strains (46%). As the numbers point to the fact that lacerations are not only one of the most reported workplace injuries, but also one of the most costly, it is vital to identify some measures to reduce the likelihood of continued lacerations.

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By Ruth Kiefer, ARM Loss Control Manager

Just this year, safety professionals from all over the country were asked by EHS Today “In what area would you most like to see an improvement in your safety program?” Listed below are the top ten answers professionals gave to this question. I’ve added a loss control view after each identified issue.

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Please mark your calendars for our upcoming Annual Meeting on October 16, 2014. This year the meeting will be at:

The Inn at St. John’s ~ Nazareth Room
44045 Five Mile Road
Plymouth, MI

Invitations will be going out in the next couple of weeks. Please contact us in the meantime if you have any questions.

It is no surprise that MTMIC Board Members have a depth of experience in product production, especially due to our company name. All ten of our Board members own, have built, manage or are senior officers of Michigan manufacturing facilities. The 38 year history of the company is based on small, medium and large Michigan manufacturers. With this type of Board member, our sole goal is to support Michigan manufacturers with the lowest cost workers’ compensation coverage consistent with financial stability to pay future claims.

In the last few months I have asked Board Members for a profile. As successful as these 10 men and women are, they don’t care much about talking about themselves. But after enduring a little push back, the management team “won” recently when we profiled our newest Board Member, Karen Schluckebier from The Rogers Group in Clare.

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Some good news – MTMIC’s last general rate increase was January 1, 2011 and with current loss trends we don’t see a need for one in the future (sorry my crystal ball has a forward looking limit of only one year).

Let me tell you more about our/your loss trends. Of course you would expect that we keep data by type of loss, classification of loss, by month, and year since we converted to MTMIC January 1, 2007 from the MTA Self- Insured Fund. That gives us over 7 ½ years of experience to rely upon. This data is used to direct Loss Control efforts, build claims research files, study underwriting issues as well as in financial/rate making tasks.

Here’s some loss frequency numbers from 1/1 – 7/31:

Medical Only:
2014 – 805
2013 – 969
2012 – 847

Time Loss:
2014 – 114
2013 – 120
2012 – 116

What makes these numbers more impressive than just the raw data, is that we grew (exposure base) in 2013 and 2014. Growth in 2013 was 13.12% larger than 2012 and our estimate of growth in 2014 vs 2013 is 5.88%. The offset to this great news of reducing claims frequency is that the claims that do happen are costing more. There continues to be an upward trend on medical care costs and time loss.

We hope you find the monthly articles from the Loss Control and Claims Departments useful and hope the safety video library on our company website is beneficial to your organization. By the way, our 750 policyholders viewed our library of safety videos 3,235 times in the last year. I would like to thank our Loss Control Consultants in this effort and want you to know that our Claims people vigorously review every claim for compensability and then if compensable, every claim dollar is watched like it was their own.

Thank you for your Loss Control efforts, which are noticed and do effect rates. Now back to work, with safety goggles on, hearing protection, safety shoes, machine guards, proper lifting techniques …

By Donna Motley, Director of Claims

Communication in our industry is crucial. We have at our disposal multiple ways to communicate, telephone, computer (e-mail), faxing, even the old fashion form of “written” communication. In the Workers’ Compensation arena, we still need “written” proof of a claim. As you are aware, the Employers Basic Report of Injury (Form 100) must be submitted before we can physically set up a claim file. Obviously, the form needs to be completed properly in order to fill in the fields required by the computer. Claim information is tracked by the State of Michigan – hence the required fields.

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