This week a business owner asked me if he needed a formal safety program. His business employed 10 people and has been successful in preventing workplace injuries for several years. However, he felt some level of uncertainty about his informal safety...

Where is the new generation of Occupational Safety and Health Specialists? Employers may be asking this question soon. A report from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) informs us that demand for safety, health and enviro...

Hurricanes, floods, wind damage, heat waves, shootings, and domestic terrorism—all events that have happened this year. Is your business ready? MEMIC recently archived an August webinar entitled "Is Your Business Ready?," which is designed...

Workplace safety is often assumed to be someone else’s job, common sense, or just a matter of luck.  In fact, it takes a lot of dedicated focus by all members of an organization in order to be successful.  Vince Lombardi might have st...

The special health section in Monday's Boston Globe featured a cover story about an issue important to every parent and, hopefully, every employer: workplace safety for young workers, particularly teenagers. We know that inexperienced workers are twi...

The purpose of safety training is to provide the knowledge necessary to perform a job safely. Training is one method employers use to assist employees in making safe decisions, improve safety culture, and remain compliant with OSHA and other federal ...

I have reviewed hundreds of construction jobsites over the years. Inevitably, owners ask me what can be done about the illegal use of subcontractors. Specifically, they vent about their competition classifying their employees as subcontractors and th...

This week, MEMIC began sending out information to insurance agents and customers about an impending law change in Maine which will redefine who is, and isn't, an independent contractor for purposes of workers' compensation. Any business in the c...

If you attempt to closely follow the laws around subcontractors and workers' compensation, you have been busy. This is an active area in nearly every state in the country.  It's confusing to some and confounding to many, but it's important. If ...

My wife approached me the other day with a list in hand, I always get nervous when she does that.  She had been working on the 2010 Christmas list and had questions (opportunities!) for me to assist with the task.  It seems early in the se...