PORTLAND, Maine – Does the world really need another podcast? The answer is yes, if it could help save a life or avoid an injury. Every 7 seconds a worker is injured on the job with more than 5,000 workplace injury fatalities occurring in the U.S. each year. The cost runs into the billions with immeasurable amounts of pain and suffering.

“We’ve invested a lot of time and talent in the new MEMIC Safety Experts podcast because we’ve seen firsthand how devastating injuries can be to families and businesses,” said Michael Bourque, President and CEO of workers’ compensation specialist The MEMIC Group.

“What you learn from the MEMIC Safety Experts podcast could save your life or the life of a friend or coworker, or at least save everyone from a few unnecessary cuts, burns and bruises,” said Peter Koch, host of the podcast and a Safety Management Consultant at MEMIC. “The podcast is a great complement to our safety blog, workshops, video lending library and our online Safety Director.”

The first five episodes are available now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and at www.memic.com/podcast. The topics for the first episodes include caregiving for dementia, seasonal workforce solutions, ergonomics, transforming workplace culture and safety leadership.

Caregiving for Dementia

It’s Alzheimer's Awareness Month and podcast guest Dr. Heather McKay covers

• recognizing the common symptoms and behaviors that are caused by dementia
• understanding how the progression of dementia affects the someone's skills and abilities
• improving safety for both caregivers and those living with dementia.

McKay has been named the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s “Dementia Care Professional of the Year” and collaborated with the National Association of State Veterans Homes, Armed Forces Veterans’ Homes Foundation, AMVETS Service Foundation the Air Force Sergeants’ Association to produce the award-winning caregiver training video series Dementia Care for America’s Heroes.

Seasonal Workforce Solutions

Ever wonder how the best companies gear up for their busy season? Concerned about how to keep staff safe when production demands rise? Special guest Deb Roy, President of SafeTech Consultants and recently retired Corporate Director of Health, Safety & Wellness at L.L.Bean, offers solutions to seasonal workforce challenges so the increased demands don’t upset the balance of safety, quality and productivity.

Ergonomics

For those suffering from back or neck pain, find out how workplace ergonomics could be the culprit to some of the most common aches and pains from MEMIC’s Director of Ergonomics Allan Brown. Brown shows how good ergonomics fits the work to the worker, not the other way around.

Transforming Workplace Culture

MEMIC President and CEO Michael Bourque discusses how MEMIC’s experience can teach organizations about safety and initiating a culture change. In the late 80s and early 90s Maine had a terrible safety culture and increasing levels of legal conflict making it the most expensive place in the country to do business. The economy suffered and insurance companies were fleeing the state. Finally, workers’ compensation reforms were made in 1992 and Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Company (MEMIC) was created with the mission to transform workplace culture. Now with 8 offices across the Eastern Seaboard, MEMIC shares its workers’ compensation and safety expertise with employers across the country.

Safety Leadership

And in the first episode of the podcast, MEMIC Loss Control Director Randy Klatt shares leadership tips from more than 40 years’ experience working in industries where safety is critical to success—in emergency medicine, as an active duty Navy pilot, a commercial airline pilot and an aviation safety instructor at the university level.

Upcoming episodes will cover preventing fires during the holidays, safe winter driving tips and slips & falls—some of the most common causes of workplace injuries and preventable injury-related death.

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About MEMIC
The MEMIC Group includes MEMIC Indemnity Company, MEMIC Casualty Company, and parent company Maine Employers’ Mutual Insurance Company; all rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best. As a super-regional workers’ compensation specialty insurer, The MEMIC Group holds licenses to write workers’ compensation across the country. The group insures more than 20,000 employers and their estimated 300,000 employees, and holds more than $1.4 billion in assets. The group maintains offices in New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida, in addition to its headquarters in Portland, Maine.