Today marks the 800th MEMIC Safety Net Blog post! Our experts have carefully crafted powerful content across all industries since 2008 and we value each and every one of our readers.

Our first editor and contributor was MEMIC Safety Management Consultant, Paul Caret, who had a gentle way of guiding our policyholders toward safer workplaces. Looking for more ways to connect, his dedication and compassion showed in the very first post, Younger Workers Willing to Please Even If It Hurts. Our blog has evolved and its reach has expanded across the nation and internationally as a testament to Paul’s vision. (Remembering Paul)

Our second editor, Safety Management Consultant Randy Klatt, encouraged those interested in workplace safety with Safety At Work a Great Career Choice and nearly 100 other titles before his retirement. When asked for his favorite posts, he fondly remembers Greg LaRochelle’s holiday year end reviews such a One Last Letter Before Flight, A Reassuring Reminder, and An Exhilarating Encounter. Greg’s prolific writings account for 114 blogs prior to his retirement. As Randy aptly stated, “Safety consulting has to be all things- entertaining, engaging, informative, sometimes humorous, always enlightening. Give them powerful information that they can actually use on the job.” 

As the current editor you might wonder about my favorite. The Humongous Possibilities of the Homunculus gave us a visual representation of injury trends in the form of the “Memiculus” who was illustrated for us by a young Philadelphia artist. This creature humanized the effects of injuries better than any graph or table.

Most of our posts focused on specific workplace hazards and offered advice to workers and employers alike. Our loss control team weighed in on some of their favorites.

Over the road risks are high. In the Zone promotes driving safety awareness, offers real-world examples and solutions that are useful to avoid distractions while driving any vehicle. Managing Driving Risks in an Aging Workforce provided concrete tools to improve safety with older drivers. Drive Like it's 1948 began with a personal story and emphasize following road rules.  

All industries use some type of tools and the blog has covered many safety concerns and solutions ranging from Chainsaws, Table Saws, and Lawn Mowers, to Slicers, Hand Drills, Kitchen Knives, and Utility Knives.  Of course, heavier equipment such as Pallet Jacks, Powered Industrial Trucks and Patient Lifting Equipment have also been addressed and provided practical and actionable suggestions in an easily digestible format. 

Slips, trips and falls account for the majority of workplace accidents so it is no surprise that an entire section is devoted to just this topic. Taming the Dangerous Passage reminds us how easy it is to slip and fall getting in and out of a vehicle in winter and our Don't Let Winter Take You Down espoused our Walk Safe Campaign. From Preventing Patient Falls and Preventing Falls from Heights, to our S.A.F.E. Fall Prevention Program, we’ve given our all to provide useful information and practical tips to control fall hazards.  

Ergonomic injuries can be life altering and very costly so topics like Vacuum Lifters, Wearable Technologies, and Back Braces offer new ideas for the difficulties of Manually Moving Materials. 

MEMIC’s Safety Net Blog has also explored less tangible subjects such as leadership and safety culture. The Abilene Paradox discusses the importance of encouraging others to voice their disagreements when making plans, policies, and procedures to avoid going down the wrong road. Servant Leadership offers a fresh perspective for employers looking to engage in a different way with front-line staff. Smart Hiring Decisions emphasizes the importance of building a positive safety culture from the very beginning of the hiring process while Managing Safety Incentive Programs offers tools to motivate safe behaviors.

Peter Koch, MEMIC’s Manager of Digital Technology, had this to say about his two favorites: Leading Workplace Safety: The Johari Window and the Dunning-Kruger Effect offers a “practical framework for evaluating how an individual or a team will deal with the challenge of safety awareness in the workplace.” Safety Starts in the Mind identifies that stress when “not managed well will negatively affect the person experiencing it, the team they work with, and, eventually, safety, quality, and productivity.”

As an insurer, we are always concerned about claim management and the availability of sound information and resources. Entries like The Power of Communication, The Critical Importance of Timely Claim Reporting, and An Olympic Game Plan for Transitional Return-to-Work provide safety, health, and human resources leaders the tools they need to reduce the impact of workplace injuries and illnesses. 

Michael Bourque, President and CEO of MEMIC, has this to say about our Safety Net Blog. “I am so very proud of the work behind our safety blog. It demonstrates the strength, passion, and breadth of the expertise in our amazing Loss Control Department. Getting to 800 entries is an astounding accomplishment by our team. These are informative, and easily digestible discussions of important workforce safety tips that can also help us in daily life – especially any do-it-yourselfers out there. I view the blog as both a public service and a branding element for The MEMIC Group. It goes to the very heart of what MEMIC was created to do: Control costs by reducing workforce injuries!”

As industries, technologies, knowledge, and solutions evolve, MEMIC’s Safety Net Blog, and indeed, MEMIC itself, vows to continue to strive for excellence and expand our expertise to serve you. Thank you for joining us on this journey.

800 is a lot, but we are not stopping there. What’s your favorite blog post and what would you like us to write about? We’d love to hear from you.

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I would like to thank all of MEMIC’s writing contributors, our communications department, our leadership, and other staff members for supporting this blog as part of MEMIC’s mission “to make workers’ comp work better with compassion, trusted partnerships, and relentless commitment to workforce safety.”

Susan Diffenderfer, MEMIC Safety Net Blog Editor In Chief.