Winter Workers Comp Surveillance Tips

I like this article - It's from the Workers Compensation organization in the USA, www.workerscompensation.com - it's a bit tongue in cheek in places, and it applies to us here in Canada. Enjoy!

Winter Workers Comp Surveillance Tips

Now that winter has arrived with a bang, it is always a ripe time for surveillance on those questionable claims.  The hustle and bustle of the Holiday season is over, and people settle in to their normal winter routines, waiting out the cold weather for the arrival of spring.

For those problematic claims out there, this time of year is always a busy one for surveillance companies.  Adjusters cannot wait to try and get some film of their injured claimant potentially violating their medical restrictions by shoveling out their driveways or partaking in a winter recreational sport.

Here are some tips to keep in mind for a successful hunt of trying to get that elusive film that can direct a claim from compensable to suspended:

Strike Not Only After the Big Storm, but During It

If you are like me and do not own a snowblower, the best way to make shoveling your driveway easier is to do it a few times while the storm is going on.  This makes it a bit easier to heave all the snow off of your driveway.  True, the snow you are pushing may not weigh 500lb, but that is the point. Anyone with a lingering back injury is going to have a hard time pushing a shovel, and I think any doctor will lighten the medical restrictions if they see their patient spending a lot of time outdoors with a shovel.

When caught, most claimants will try to say they were only pushing the snow, and not lifting the shovel.  However, any activity is showing that they are active, and it can be a way to get that person back to light duty work if they are currently on a no-work status.

Use Snow Blowing to Your Advantage

If your claimant does indeed have a snowblower, this can mean that they are not actually lifting anything.  But they are on their feet, for long periods of time, pushing and pulling the blower around and being active in general.  This may not mean that they are 100%, but they are certainly capable of doing light duty or sedentary work. 

Even if they claim that the snow blower is self-propelled, the claimant is still walking behind it, bending down, and doing this for a period of time. I would find it hard to believe that any doctor would keep this person from doing sedentary work if confronted with the video evidence. Use your tape to get them back to work, and doing something beneficial for your workplace.

Watch For Potential Aggravation of Injury

Snow and ice are slick, and people slip and slide while shoveling and snow blowing.  They are also bent over while using the snowblower which could lead to an aggravation of your current back injury claim.  I am not injured, but I am sore after shoveling.  If I were to already have had a lingering back injury, this is only going to make it worse. 

The same could be said if you are watching the video and your claimant slips and tweaks their back, or even worse they fall hard, probably making their current injury worse.  The best way to handle this is to wait to show the doctor the tape until after their next appointment.  In the medical notes, the claimant may show worsening signs of injury, and they probably will not tell the doctor that their symptoms worsened due to falling on their rear end while shoveling. 

At this time you have good evidence to show that their injury wasmade worse by slipping and/or falling down.  Make sure you have the doctor be objective.  By showing the doctor the film, you have concrete evidence when paired with the worsened medical report that their injury is now exacerbated by their outside activity. This should allow you to be able to be aggressive in trying to end your comp claim and move it to a personal medical condition.

Know if they Have any Outdoor Hobbies

Since you know these people for a period of months or years, you may already know that they love to ice fish, or to snowmobile.  Snowmobiling is very arduous, since riding on the machine can lead to jarring of the back, resulting in a worsening of the injury.  Even if they do not claim to be medically worsened, if you can show them active on a snowmobile, then it would seem that they are healthy enough to return to work. The best evidence you could get is if the snowmobile gets stuck and they have to get off and lift the back of the machine to get it working again.  These machines weigh hundreds of pounds, and if you can do that, you should be good enough to be returning to work.

Ice fishing is not as arduous, in fact it is pretty lazy, but it can still show a person hauling their gear out to their fishing shack and sitting for long periods of time.  You want to show the doctor that this person is more active than they are leading on.  Once you can show that, you have some great evidence to show that this person is healthy and ready for a return to work in some capacity.

If You Strike Out, Keep Trying

Getting some great surveillance film is luck of the draw.  Sometimes there will be times that you send your vendor out and they return with nothing.  That is OK, you won’t strike gold every time.  But be persistent. Watch the weather reports, be aware of local fishing and skiing competitions, and send your vendor out again.  If indeed you cannot gather any evidence then that is not necessarily a bad thing. This means your claimant is avoiding any activity that will make their pain worse or aggravate their injury.  My friend calls surveillance “the art of verification.”

Summary

There are a lot of people out there that love the snow and the winter weather.  I know people that have fishing shacks that are like a mini house, complete with TV and propane heaters.  Some people snowmobile for miles in the bitter cold, and they actually enjoy doing it.  This doesn’t mean that everyone out there is up to something bad, but it is a possibility.  So take my pal’s advice, and verify that your claimant is doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing–which is laying low, resting, and giving their injury time to heal before returning to work. 

Article Source: http://www.workerscompensation.com/compnewsnetwork/workers-comp-blogwire/15799-winter-workers-comp-surveillance-tips.html

The Renwick Group can meet all your WCB surveillance needs - please contact us at www.therenwickgroup.ca

TIPS FOR MANAGERS ABOUT HANDLING STRIKES & LABOR DISPUTES

A few important tips about Labour Dispute Management for you to consider from The Renwick Group.  When your unionized company is the target of a strike or other form of labor dispute, your actions should be guided by two primary business objectives:

• To negotiate a fair and workable agreement, that also protects managerial prerogatives to control your workforce

• To minimize immediate and longer-range economic damage

By staying focused on these objectives, your management and security team will be less vulnerable to the legal, political and public relations tactics that have become potent weapons used by labor unions and protesting workers.

A time when friends turn against you:

Supervisors who’ve never gone through a major labor dispute can be caught off guard when formerly friendly subordinates turn belligerent.

Training should ingrain two points:

1. No matter what happens, don’t let your emotions get the best of you
2. Don’t do anything to jeopardize future working relationships.

The days when strikes involved angry mobs of hostile workers battling armed guards are rare in the present, thanks to labor law reform and social conditions, although they still have powerful political connections.

But labor disputes still create tensions – on both sides – so management must be prepared to deal with volatile outbreaks.

There are two kinds of picketing:

Orderly and peaceful informational picketing is intended to make the public aware of union grievances. It usually involves a relatively small number of reasonably well-behaved pickets.

Mass picketing has a very different purpose: to use sheer numbers to intimidate and otherwise discourage workers, truck drivers, customers and the general public from crossing the picket line.

Such picketing may be legal, if orderly, peaceful and it does not block ingress and egress to the facility, but large crowds and strong emotions frequently lead to threats and violence, and thereby become illegal.

For the best protection against work disruptions, management must:

• Create and maintain detailed contingency plans
• Establish a detailed labour dispute management plan
• Establish effective means of internal and public communication involving all affected parties, and
• Prepare for the proper documentation of strikers, union officials and others when they improperly interfere with company operations or engage in intimidation or outright attacks against people or property.

We recommend management plan ahead not only for strikes but also to other potentially damaging situations, such as,

• Plant closings
• Workforce downsizing
• Union representation drives or boycotting of non-union operations
• Acts of coercion, violence and destruction by disturbed individuals
• Floods, fires and other events that jeopardize plant operations
• Generalized riots that may effect company facilities
• Terrorist threats and attacks

If you would like more information about Labour Dispute Management - Please contact us at The Renwick Group - www.therenwickgroup.ca

2013 Personal Security Tips Against Identity Theft

Last year was a big year for identity theft.

 

From data breaches to new technology, identity thieves were quite active and show no signs of slowing down in 2013.

 

So why not make your new year’s resolution about protecting yourself from identity theft?

 

Here are some great examples of resolutions you can make to make sure your 2013 isn’t marred by a nasty case of identity theft.

 

Clear out your wallet: Many people carry items in their purse or wallet that leave them vulnerable to identity theft. Take the time to remove your important ID cards that you dont need to have with you all the time, your cheque book, passport, extra credit cards, and anything else with personal identifying information.

 

If you want to take this one step further, make an inventory of what is still left in your wallet so that if it is stolen you will easily be able to protect yourself from identity theft.

 

Give your computer a fresh start: There are all kinds of nasty viruses out there which identity thieves use to commit their crimes. The best line of defense against these crooks is to be sure that you have an up-to-date antivirus installed on your computer.

 

Make sure all of the recommended patches are also updated and that your wireless network has a good strong password.

 

Change your passwords: One of the best lines of defense against having an account takeover is a strong password. Take this fresh opportunity to change your old passwords and create stronger ones. Do not use words that can be found in the dictionary.

 

Hackers can run a program that goes through the entire dictionary very quickly and crack any password which can be found in the dictionary. Use numbers, upper and lower case letters, punctuation in your passwords. Don’t forget that the longer the password, the harder it is to crack.

 

Create different passwords on each of your accounts.

 

If you have trouble remembering all of these passwords you can look into using a password manager.

 

Monitor your credit reports: Should you become a victim of identity theft, one of the best ways to find out is by monitoring your credit reports. There are different credit reporting agencies and consumers can receive one report from each, every year.

 

If you stagger your free accounts and pull one every four months, you can monitor your credit for free.

 

Shred Everything: Invoices, receipts, bills, bank statements, account updates, utility bills, anything with your personal account infomation.

 

If you don't need them, don't through it in the garbage - invest in a quality shredder from Staples or Grand and Toy, and dispose of your shredded paper carefully.

 

So this year, give it a try and protect yourself from identity theft and have a wonderful new year.

 

From The Renwick Group - www.therenwickgroup.ca

Corporate Security is an Important Part of Many Businesses

Corporate security deserves serious consideration, because companies can't afford to ignore the importance of both physical and data security.

That means taking steps to keep the confidential data on the company network, and to ensure the safety of the building.

We recommend companies can enhance the safety of their operations and protect their businesses by taking both physical and virtual security into account. Here are some of the basics to consider:

Internal Threats

While concern about physical break-ins and computer hackers is justified, it is as important for business owners and company management to address the threats that can come from inside the office walls.

From disgruntled employees to workers who are merely careless, companies face many internal threats.

Management teams should give workers access only to the files they need, and network administrators can greatly reduce the chance that valuable data will be lost, through either deliberate action or simple carelessness.

Physical Security

Physical security goes beyond simply locking the doors when the last employee leaves for the night. Every business should implement a systematic security strategy that includes employee training.

Everyone who works at the company needs to be aware of the importance of building security, and workers should be trained not to allow anyone they do not know on to the premises.

Company managers should implement a system that requires all visitors to sign in and be escorted while they are on the premises.

Badge System

A badge system can help keep the building safe and secure and provide other benefits as well.

A badge system helps ensure that no unauthorized users can enter the building, protecting the office when no workers are present. Badge codes can be updated instantly to prevent former employees from entering the building.

Badge systems also can be integrated into a timekeeping system, making it easy for company managers to keep track of employees' working hours.

If you need any Corporate Security Advice - Please contact The Renwick Group at www.therenwickgroup.ca