PORTLAND, Maine, January 8, 1999 – As an icy Maine winter held the state firmly in its grip this week, Maine Employers' Mutual Insurance Company (MEMIC) mailed one-pound packets of ice-melting pellets to 2,000 of its policyholders, along with some advice: Shovel it. Sand it. Salt it.

The company targeted the mailing, as well as a winter-long radio advertising campaign, at particular categories of workplace injury which increase in winter. According to the company, hundreds of workplace injuries result from workers slipping and falling on ice and snow each winter. MEMIC says that the months of January, February and March have a 57 percent higher incidence of slip and fall injuries than do the spring months of April, May and June.

"Most of these injuries are weather-related and all of them are preventable," said Dan Cote, MEMIC vice president for Loss Control. "Removal of snow and ice is common sense. But all of us need a reminder that we need to be careful during these months."

Cote said that business owners can help to reduce these injuries by making sure that their driveways, walkways and parking lots are clear of ice and snow. During a snowstorm, Cote suggests, shovel often to avoid letting snow pile up. In areas where you don't have control of snow and ice, use appropriate footwear and, in some cases, use crampons for boots.

MEMIC's radio advertising campaign also offers advice about another winter danger: winter driving. The company offers the following guidelines for driving in ice and snow:

Stay three full seconds behind the car in front of you Keep your headlights on Clear the ice and snow from ALL of your windows before you start driving Use good judgment. Unless it's an emergency, don't drive. Wait for conditions to improve.

 

### About MEMIC

Maine Employers' Mutual is state's largest and leading workers' compensation insurance company, insuring more than 18,000 businesses and their estimated 250,000 workers in Maine. By concentrating on workplace safety and claims management, the company has helped many employers in Maine reduce their workers' compensation costs by more than 50 percent since 1993. The company is located at 261 Commercial Street in Portland, Maine.