By Chris Demeter, Senior Loss Control Consultant

Every once in a while my brother will send me a link to a YouTube video of a workplace mishap caught on film. Most of the videos he sends are involving forklifts. They range from a forklift overturning, an unstable load resulting in losing its load, using a forklift improperly to elevate personnel, and forklifes driving into a racking system causing them to fall like a stack of dominoes. This may be riveting to watch, but there is a good chance someone was seriously injured not to mention the thousands of dollars in damage. To put it in perspective, the average automobile weighs approximately 3,000 lbs. and the average forklift not including the load weighs close to 9,000 lbs. To prevent the forklift from tipping forward while lifting a load, forklifts are equipped with a counterweight in the rear of the vehicle. To accommodate narrow aisle and restricted area operations, forklifts are designed with a tight turning radius. With the tight turning radius, it’s common for the rear of the forklift to strike an object such as a storage rack causing damage. It’s common for the damage to go unreported for fear of an employee write-up.

By Travis Halsted, Loss Control Consultant

During our daily discussions within MTMIC’s Loss Control team, we are constantly looking for ways to help our policyholders identify ways to be proactive and compliant with MIOSHA’s standards. One area that comes up quite often are confined spaces. Whether it be construction or general industry,

MIOSHA regularly cites infractions for these often overlooked areas. Through the 10 years I have been involved in workplace safety, I have found the confined space topic to be the most difficult topic to complete, discuss, teach and interpret. Is it a confined space? If so, is the area a permit required confined space? If it is a permit required confined space then am I able to eliminate the need for the permit? These are all great questions and they often leave people with their head spinning. In many cases, the person just ends up not completing the necessary items.

By Ruth Kiefer, IH, ARM, Vice President of Loss Control

The year end is fast approaching and once again we will be addressing your record keeping questions for the next few months to come. MiOSHA requires that all recordable injuries be logged onto the MIOSHA Form 300 throughout the year, and when it comes to determining how many days away from work should you be logging on the form always results in questions. To better prepare you in completing the MiOSHA Form 300, let us review some of the most common questions regarding days away from work. Over the years, the questions below, have been some of our most common questions to date that we seem to get every year.

(1) How do I record a work-related injury or illness that results in days away from work?

When an injury or illness involves 1 or more days away from work, you must record the injury or illness on the MIOSHA 300 Log with a check mark in the space for cases involving days away and an entry of the number of calendar days away from work in the number of days column. If the employee is out for an extended period of time, you must enter an estimate of the days that the employee will be away, and update the day count when the actual number of days is known.

By Travis Halsted, Loss Control Consultant

If you ask any member of our Loss Control Department, what is one of the questions that we hear most often, our answer will be “how do you remember all of these rules”. While our answers to that question may vary, the most accurate answer, is that we take continuing education opportunities in the field of safety items, ergonomics and MIOSHA standards. These classes provide us with knowledge of new standards, changes in current standards, how rules can be interpreted in different manners, risk management efforts and an overall understanding of the current safety world. At MTMIC, we encourage our policyholders to also take part in continuing their education. As we are all aware of the need to manage costs, MTMIC offered this class to our policyholders at no charge to them.

By Donna Motley, Vice President of Claims

A while ago I wrote about the medical profession’s new diagnosis of “Text Neck” – concerns about physical conditions being created by a person’s head being constantly bent forward while using a cell phone. Reading material I have received recently from a physical therapy facility now lists additional “new” diagnoses: Texting Thumb, Selfie Elbow, Text Neck and Tablet Tingling. These are new titles for “overuse conditions” officially titled Trigger Thumb, DeQuervains Tenosynovitis, Epicondylitis and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. All of these conditions relate to straining and overuse of said body part resulting in inflammation.

By Donna Motley, Vice President of Claims

Truly, it wasn’t that long ago everyone was complaining about snow, ice, cold and asking the question “Where is Spring?” As most assumed, we really didn’t have a “Spring”, instead, we went right into summer. That “sudden change” is a stressor to our bodies. Being immediately thrust into heat and humidity can take a toll on anyone. Typically, Spring gives us time to gradually acclimate to warmer weather conditions. Now that the heat has arrived we have to learn to deal with it!

MTM members are well acquainted with their Loss Control representative and the services they provide. MTM Loss Control focus has been the same for 44 years. Last year we conducted in excess of 950 site visits. Given that we have 921 existing members, almost all members see their Loss Control rep in person regularly.

By Ruth Kiefer, ARM, Loss Control Manager

As many of you know, we base our annual safety inspections on injury trends and MiOSHA’s most common cited violations. Last year MiOSHA issued 408 general industry health citations with the average citation being $1,708, that’s $696,911 collected in health citations with regards to general industry.

For general industry Safety violations, a total of 1.38 Million was collected and 543 citations issued. So the average citation issued in 2018 was $2,555. This year MiOSHA broke down the top violations into both Health Violations and Safety Violations. If you are unsure if you have a Health or Safety violation, please ask your Loss Control consultant for more guidance on any of these violations noted below.

Listed below are the 2018 most recent general industry HEALTH violations cited by MiOSHA:

By Donna Motley, Vice President of Claims

One of the important reasons we stress an injured worker should seek medical treatment soon after an injury is to obtain an accurate diagnosis. what may appear to be a “simple cut or laceration” may actually be diagnosed as a “nicked” or lacerated tendon. An MRI may be required for an accurate diagnosis. 

Tendons attach or connect muscle to bone, which in turn allows for movement at the joint. Tendons control your hand and fingers, wrist, elbows, feet and toes, ankles and shoulders. Tendon laceration will result in trouble in bending or straightening the (attached) body part. These injuries typically require surgery. Hands and fingers should be repaired within 48 hours to prevent scarring. Tendon adhesions can become stuck to nearby tissue, usually requiring a surgical release. Delayed treatment will result in scar tissue and the tendon retracting. Depending on the mechanism of injury, there could also be damage to the bone, nerve and/or ligament.

By Travis Halsted, Loss Control Consultant

Year after year, motor vehicle accidents are at the top of the list for causes of workplace fatalities. Whether it is delivery drivers dropping off products to customers, the sales department visiting customers, the maintenance department running for parts, or office personnel completing different errands, there are often numerous members of your company on the road. Roadway exposures often contain some of the highest number of variables, as you cannot control a great deal of the residual risks of this hazard. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were an estimated 6.3 million police-reported car accidents in the United States in 2015. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of workplace injuries according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2013, motor vehicle incidents contributed to 40% of all workplace fatalities. MTMIC has had 97 motor vehicle collision claims since the 2011 policy year. These claims has resulted in an incurred sum of $1.8 million. As most companies can’t eliminate the need for the use of the roads, we need to identify where the exposures come from and how to reduce the likelihood of those motor vehicle claims.

In January we mailed out information relating to Proposal 1 – Michigan Regulation & Taxation of Marihuana Act Passage. We mentioned that we were in the process of putting together a template for a substance abuse policy and that process is almost complete. It has gone a little slower than anticipated but should be in your hands in the next few weeks. For more information, please contact Megan Brown at (248) 715-0012 or your loss control representative.

By Ruth Kiefer, ARM, Loss Control Manager

Each year we look at January as a new beginning, with the coming of a new year, I would also like you and I to make a renewed commitment to safety and keeping our employees safe in our workplaces. Our Loss Control team has worked hard to inform you of recent MIOSHA changes, provide current and up to date training videos along with safety program templates. All of these and more are at your finger tips when you log onto our on-line portal. So this is a new year and new beginnings for many of us and I wanted you to be aware of this years focus of the compliance department of MIOSHA and MTMIC. I say MTMIC, because we too see the injury trends in the industry and we have worked hard to make you the tools to assist you with the MIOSHA Initiatives. These initiatives are created to help reduce injury trends in the workplace and I want to review a few of them with you.

By Ruth Kiefer, Loss Control Manager, ARM

With the ever tightening labor force and your need to fulfill orders and production, more of you are turning to a temp agency to fill this need. So what are your obligations to this temporary worker? Or to your new hires for that matter? I’m here to tell you that there is no longer an experienced workforce, or the days where you can find a good lathe operator, someone who knows the ins and outs of the presses in your shops. Those days are gone, the good ones are already working or retired, so you are left with inexperienced workers to choose from. As you know, schools no longer have in house training programs, it’s now left to you, the businesses to do the training, to create and form the “experienced worker”. It’s now on you to educate the younger workers entering the manufacturing sector.

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By Chris Demeter, Senior Loss Control Consultant

It’s 10:00 a.m., you hear a knock on the door, you get up and see someone who looks very official standing there, you open the door and they introduce themselves. “Hi my name is Kristin, I’m with MIOSHA CET…” your heartbeat quickens, you are no longer listening to the woman at the door, you’re thinking, is the boss here? What am I going to do? Before you know it, she has passed you a business card and turned away, leaving you standing there. You take a second and realize she is not coming in, so you just pass it off as a near miss and put the card in your desk without a second thought. That might be a mistake not inviting her in for a non-enforcement hazard survey. You may already know this, but MTMIC has had an alliance with MIOSHA CET for many years and have assisted many policyholders with CET services with positive results. As you know we are a proactive insurance company and are always finding ways to reduce injuries and provide our policyholders with valuable resources to use.

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By Ruth Kiefer, Loss Control Manager, ARM

Outside the cicadas are singing their song signifying the end of summer, and the kids are getting ready for school, but I can’t seem to enjoy this annual transition from the winding down of summer to fall because my mind can’t stop wondering why we are having so many traumatic injuries this year. My team and I have been called out to conduct way too many accident investigations regarding amputations. This traumatic event, in which a part of the body is violently removed from your employee has plagued us since the beginning of the year. So, I must ask myself, why the sudden increase in this type of traumatic injury?

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By Travis Halsted, Loss Control Consultant

First and foremost, I hope everyone is having a spectacular summer! Whether you are spending time on the water, relaxing and reading a book on your front porch or traveling, I hope that you are all able to enjoy this beautiful Michigan weather. I am not quite sure how it worked out this way, but I find myself scheduling a great deal of my Loss Control visits on the west side of the state this time of year. It must be some kind of coincidence.

With these elevated temperatures, the need to use the air movement fans also rises. The air movement fans have a plethora of different hazards that can cause injuries. Within the first week of July, MTMIC had two injuries directly related to fans. Some of the most common hazards that are found with fans include, but are not limited to:

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By Chris Demeter, Senior Loss Control Consultant

Every year, workers are unnecessarily exposed to hazardous energy sources such as mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, gravity, or other energies utilized by machines in manufacturing. This occurs during servicing, maintenance, or setting up on equipment. Accidental start-up of machinery or unintended release of stored energy often presents catastrophic risks including but not limited to crush, amputation, shock, and burn injuries as well as equipment damage. This exposure can cause serious physical injuries or death to workers unaware that someone else has started a machine or energized a circuit. MIOSHA requires employers to establish a Lockout-Tagout program and use procedures for affixing appropriate lockout devices or tag out devices to energy isolating devices, and to otherwise disable machines or equipment to prevent unexpected re-energizing, start up or release of stored energy in order to prevent injury to employees.

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By the time you receive this newsletter, MTM staff will be in the final phase of delivering the 2018 member dividends. This year’s dividend is $4 million made up of two Board declarations. The $3.5 million amount matches the dividend amounts from March, 2017 and March, 2016. Plus this year the Board declared an additional $500,000 from savings of the tax bill signed into law in December. The total dividend amounts to an average dividend of 22% of member’s premium. Staff has 802 dividend checks. Delivery methods vary from mailing, to agency delivery, MTM Loss Control Reps, Megan Brown – VP of Marketing and Sales and me. Last year Megan and I drove over 12,000 miles in 3 weeks delivering checks to members. Each stop was a surprise, great conversation, plant tour and pictures.

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By Travis, Loss Control Consultant

Through every loss control visit, one particular hazard can be found in each facility. The hazard that I am speaking of is electricity. With each cord, disconnect, panel, receptacle and connection there are a plethora of hazards that must be guarded. Each of these electrical items have rules that pertain to them and failure to abide by these rules can not only provide the opportunity for severe injuries and possibly fatalities, but also the potential for substantial fines from the MIOSHA enforcement division. During a recent MIOSHA training class, the speakers informed the class that any and all electrical infractions will now hold a minimum $5,000 fine. That is only a minimum, as if they feel that the particular infraction is negligent then the fine will only escalate from there. While the fines are an eye opening factor, the safety of the employees should always remain as our top priority.

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