1st Quarter 2007 Workers` Comp. Advisor Magazine

SLIPS & FALLS DEMAND OUR ATTENTION
NEW YORK STATE INSURANCE FUND
ADVISOR
W o r k e r s ’ C o m p.
www.nysif.com
January, February, March 2007
Delivering Service
Delivering Service
Delivering Service
Educational
Personal
Online
WCA FYI
Broker Online
Access, Lower
Rates for DB
News You Can Use
NYSIF Workers’ Comp. Advisor
January/February/March 2007
Now brokers can create and view an online
account for their NYSIF disability benefits
clients. Broker access to DB accounts couldn’t
come at a better time. Effective January 1, 2007,
upon renewal or inception of a new disability benefits policy, NYSIF is decreasing DB rates by
20%. This is the second reduction in the past three
years.
The new DB rates are $0.16 per $100 of payroll
for male employees and $0.32 per $100 of payroll
for female employees. The minimum policy premium charge remains at $100 per year.
Visit www.nysif.com, click on “I represent multiple policyholders, what can NYSIF do for me?”,
Account reps. may
or “Broker Services” under the Disability Benefits
access a full menu of
tab to see how easy it is to do business with
online services
NYSIF.
Authorized DB representatives receive copies of
all bills, endorsements, notices, form letters and can act on behalf of the policyholder to request certain policy changes.
Some Schools to Receive
New Endorsement
Colleges and other schools may see a
new endorsement, “111 Work/Study
Employees,” added to their NYSIF
policies if they have employees who are
remunerated in whole or part by tuition
credits at their facilities. The endorsement is based on a recent Workers’
Compensation Board judge’s decision.
The premium charge is based on the
amount of the tuition credit plus any
cash wages. A wage based on a comparable employee doing similar work may
be established to calculate premium if
this information is not provided to our
premium auditor.
Address Swap: Albany Biz
Office, DB Underwriting
NYSIF’s Albany business office is
completing its move to NYSIF’s
Watervliet Avenue location early this
year and has officially changed its
mailing address to:
1 Watervliet Avenue Extension
Albany, NY, 12206
Meanwhile, the mailing address for
NYSIF disability benefits underwriting division has changed to:
15 Computer Drive West
Albany, NY 12205
All phone numbers are unchanged.
In This Issue
Falling Down on the Job
Injuries and
fatalities due to
slips, trips and
falls are the
leading cause
of NYSIF
claims, and
nationally rank
Quickly
No. 2 behind
clean up
vehicular acciall spills
dents. We can’t
let that continue. The need
for employers, employees and safety professionals to focus more attention on mitigating
the risks of slips, trips and falls is paramount.
NYSIF is ready to help. Our safety experts
discuss simple, effective ways to minimize
these preventable accidents. We offer a large
selection of fall prevention training materials
free online, along with other sites. It’s time
for everyone to stand up to the responsibility
of stemming debilitating and fatal falls.
Prevent
slips
an d
falls
Safety & Risk Management
N ew Y o r k S t a t e I n s u r a n c e F u n d
www.nysif.com
Page 6
PARTNERS revise
12/4/06
Partners In
Safety
Online
11:20 AM
Page 1
Partners In Safety
Safety Policy
New York State
Insurance Fund
Safety Committees
NYSIF’s guide to
Safety Training
Employee Cooperation
accident prevenAccident Reporting
Accident Investigation
tion and workplace
First Aid
safety is now in
Bloodborne Pathogens
Working Conditions
.pdf format from
Protective Equipment
Materials Handling
the Safety & Risk
Ergonomics
Air Quality
Management tab
Violence
NYSIF’s web site.
Emergency Planning
Inspections
“NYSIF is pleased
to make this comprehensive guide to workplace safety accessible
to anyone on our web site,” NYSIF CEO David P.
Wehner said.
Partners In Safety covers topics including The
Safety Policy, Safety Committees, Safety Training,
Employee Cooperation, Accident Reporting,
Accident Investigation, First Aid, Working
Conditions, Protective Equipment, Materials
Handling, Safety Inspections and more.
Workers’ compensation &
disability benefits specialist
since 1914
w w w. n y s i f . c o m
Then...Now...Always
Eliot Spitzer, Governor • Robert H. Hurlbut, Chairman • David P. Wehner, CEO/Executive Director
Labor Dept.: Injuries Down, But Much Work Remains
Here’s some good news for American workers and employers. According to the
Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), workplace illnesses and
injuries declined for the third straight year in 2005—approximately 4.2 million
reported cases, or 4.6 injury and illness cases per 100 full-time employees, the lowest rate on record. BLS also reported that 1.2 million injuries and illnesses requiring
lost work days in private industry in 2005 represented a 4% decline from 2004,
while noting that “much work remains to further reduce workplace injuries and illnesses.”
NYSIF Workers’ Comp. Advisor 2 January, February, March 2007
Cover Story
Core Value: Service
How May We Help You?
Service is an important value for most people. At NYSIF, it’s one of our core values.
Whether it’s personal one-to-one care, or our online services at www.nysif.com, or
NYSIF safety training and remedial services, these stories reflect how our team of
specialists make NYSIF the workers’ comp. carrier of choice in New York State.
eamwork is the ticket to the kind of service that moves policy holders to write “Thank you” notes to NYSIF.
Just ask Buffalo Underwriter Gail Michael and Field Services Rep. Jim
McLaughlin, who were singled out by the complimentary pen of T&C
Transmission Services owner Lois Fadale.
Buffalo’s Gail Michael,
Ms. Fadale, who has owned T&C since 1991,
PHS
Manager Ron Carey
contacted Ms. Michael because she wanted to
and
Jim McLaughlin
change her business from a DBA (doing business
as) to an LLC (limited liability company).
“After I processed the change of interest from the individual owner‘Effective communication between team
ship to an LLC, Ms. Fadale contacted me again regarding a WCB
fine,” Ms. Michael said. “Ms. Fadale got fined for not having the
members helps us assist our customers with
proper coverage for the DBA for a short period of time. I assisted her
good customer service.’
in getting the WCB fine removed from the policy. She had contacted
myself and Jim several times asking for assistance with all the paperwork to be completed so that everything was processed correctly.”
Mr. McLaughlin worked with Ms. Fadale when Ms. Michael wasn’t
available. “I just relayed information between [them],” he said. He has
also helped Ms. Fadale in the past and recently with billing questions.
Therein lies the essence of working as a team.
As Ms. Fadale described it in her letter, Mr. McLaughlin is “cordial”
and “helpful;” Ms. Michael, “patient, pleasant and helpful.”
“As long as I can help make all the customers comfortable in the
knowledge that we are working toward a solution or an answer to their
questions in a professional manner, then my bosses are satisfied and that
keeps me focused on the tasks at hand,” Mr. McLaughlin said, spoken
like a 25-year NYSIF veteran.
Ms. Michael and Mr. McLaughlin have been working together since
1990 to help policyholders. They agree teamwork is important to customer service. “We all work together to satisfy customer requests and
review policies with each other so we can come to a total team decision,” Ms. Michael said. “Effective communication between team members as a whole [helps] assist our customers with good customer service.” Mr. McLaughlin added: “We recognize that communicating an
informed response to customers’ concerns breeds customer service confidence.”
And customers recognize a good team when they see one.
T
•
atience is definitely a virtue. With 25
year-old clerk in the Collections division, an enviyears under her belt at NYSIF,
ronment in which if you lose your cool you can’t
accomplish anything.
Metro Group 90 Underwriter Patricia
As an underwriter, she puts that experience
O’Keefe has mastered the art of
to
good use for policyholders such as Nicholas
patience.
Sepe,
of Rest Assured Roofing, who she
Keeping a cool head tops her list of qualhelped
with a premium reduction on his poliities for providing great service to cuscy.
“Like
most policyholders [who] have
tomers. “Without patience you really aren’t
their
audits
done, Mr. Sepe was not prepared
Metro
90
PHS
Manager
Mike
Rachek
and
able to help anyone,” she said.
to
show
us
information,” Ms. O’Keefe said.
O’Keefe
Patricia
Ms. O’Keefe began her career as a 17-
P
NYSIF Workers’ Comp. Advisor 3 January, February, March 2007
Cover Story
Core Value: Service
“So we charged him for people who already had insurance. By the
time he called [us] and I told him what he needed to do. it was
close to cancellation. I said, ‘I can’t help you unless you help me.’
He then sent me the information, certificates and affidavits so his
balance would go down.”
Mr. Sepe was so impressed with Ms.
O’Keefe’s assistance he wrote to her supervisor, PHS Manager Michael Rachek, not
only about her outstanding service, but
also her outstanding character.
I authorized MRIs, physical therapy and two surgeries.
“This claimant’s first shoulder surgery was unsuccessful and he
needed another surgery. Every time he called I had transportation
arranged for him when he could not drive.”
Now he’s back to work after being disabled for over a year.
“Once Mr. Ambrosino returned to work he called to thank me,”
Ms. Freda said. “I believe good customer
service is very important. It makes life a
little happier and the claimants and
providers easier to deal with.”
‘Ask me as many
questions as you need
to because then I can
help you.’
‘I always treat people
the way I want to
be treated.’
“I have never met a person who
returns calls, answers all your questions regardless of how much time
it takes, and really cares about busiNassau’s PHS Manager Eric Parsons, Diane Freda and
ness people,” Mr. Sepe wrote.
Business Manager Cliff Meister
“A lot of the policyholders don’t
understand what they need to do,”
Ms. O’Keefe said. “Some of them say, ‘Can I ask you one question?’ No, ask me as many questions as you need to because then
I can help you. And if I can’t find the answer I’ll go get the answer
and then I’ll learn something new.”
That manages to keep everyone happy. “I try very hard to
please my policyholders and my
supervisors by doing a good job
while having a good attitude,” she
said.
•
ou may not be able to please all of the people all the
time, or can you? NYSIF Customer Service Rep. Diane
Freda has perfected a way for dealing with policyholders,
claimants, medical providers and her supervisors that
seems to satisfy everyone.
“I always treat people the way I want to be treated,” she said.
That philosophy earned her an Excellence in Customer Service
Award from NYSIF’s Nassau office and kudos from NYSIF
Business Manager Cliff Meister.
“Ms. Freda has consistently demonstrated excellent customer
service throughout her career at NYSIF,” he said.
She also received good reviews from a claimant, Frank
Ambrosino, a cleaner for the Nassau Board of Cooperative
Educational Services who sustained a rotator cuff tear of his right
shoulder while he was working. Ms. Freda worked closely with
Mr. Ambrosino as he underwent surgery. Mr. Ambrosino was so
impressed he wrote a letter to Mr. Meister praising Ms. Freda’s
“professionalism, efficiency, courtesy and eagerness to help.”
Ms. Freda started at NYSIF 16 years ago as a clerk.
“I’m not sure how I developed my customer service skills,” she
said. “I believe it’s just the way I am. I believe that good customer
service gets you better results.”
In the case of Mr. Ambrosino, it worked out well for him and
everyone else concerned. “As with all my claimants, I authorized
the treatment he needed to help him get better as soon as possible
so he could return to work,” she said. “I set up an Independent
Medical Exam (IME) to make sure the treatment was appropriate.
Y
•
hite Plains Field Services Rep. Douglas Maier knows
about the rewards of his profession and it has nothing to do with the NYSIF Statewide Health and Safety
Committee Award he recently won for promoting workplace
safety.
Mr. Maier, who began his NYSIF career in 1994, provides customer service, loss control and safety services to policyholders and
brokers. He has received certification by the Dept. of Labor as a
Code Rule 59 consultant and training in the 30-hour Occupational
Health and Safety Administration course.
“Doug Maier’s performance in representing NYSIF as a policyholder services representative in both the areas of loss control and
customer relations is consistently outstanding,” White Plains
Business Manager Carl Heitner said. “He enthusiastically engages
his responsibilities, conducting himself as a true professional.”
Mr. Maier, notes NYSIF Director of Field Services Armin
Holdorf, “has a proven interest in promoting safe and healthy conditions in the workplace. Doug has taken the skills that he has
W
NYSIF Workers’ Comp. Advisor 4 January, February, March 2007
Cover Story
Core Value: Service
learned and provides valuable safety training to our policyholders. He is an active member of policyholder safety meetings. He
develops safety action plans that aid in providing remediation
and training in developing a safer work environment. He is
well-liked by his policyholders and has influenced them to take
corrective action in the workplace.”
‘When a
customer
improves their
safety
attitude,
that’s
reward
enough.’
White Plains’ Doug Maier and Business Manager
Carl Heitner
“I have always gotten a lot of satisfaction in working with
our customers to improve their safety attitude in the workplace, and when this is accomplished that’s usually enough of
a reward,” Mr. Maier said.
NYSIF/OSHA In Safety Alliance
NYSIF CEO David P. Wehner (above r.) inked an agreement between
NYSIF’s Albany office and the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) to work together to educate New York State
employers and employees on workplace safety.
NYSIF OSHA-authorized outreach trainers have conducted recent
OSHA training for Mid-Hudson Valley Safety & Health Council (twice),
Wingate Nursing Home and Halsted Communications. The agreement
formalizes the alliance; it does not include an enforcement component.
Mid-Hudson’s President Ron Coons extolled the program’s virtues:
“NYSIF exceeded the expectations of class participants. NYSIF continues to add that personal touch that makes its services stand out in the
industry. The Safety Council is extremely happy that NYSIF is our partner in safety.”
Online Services Find Many Satisfied Customers
The content and quality of our new
web site, our many safety-related articles, and other free resources are generating positive feedback across the
state, particularly from insurance brokers and independent agents.
NYSIF met with businesses and
industry professionals from Buffalo to
Long Island at several trade shows
where many professed their approval
of the web site, and a few expressed
surprise with how much it offers. The
revamped site went live last June.
Guests pleased with NYSIF services
conveyed their views to Dawn Bristol
and Sapna Lalwani, of our Nassau and
Suffolk offices, respectively, at the
Downstate Insurance Association 75th
Anniversary Regional Conference at the
Huntington Hotel in Melville. Several
brokers came by NYSIF’s display to
comment on our user-friendly web site.
The theme “Turning Technology
Possibilities Into Realities” proved an
opportune topic for discussing NYSIF
online services at the 30th Annual
Binghamton I Day sponsored by the
Independent Insurance Agents of the
Southern Tier at the Binghamton
Regency.
Eric Ngwashi demonstrates NYSIF web site
Some independent agents told our
Avery Gardner they were surprised by
the extent of NYSIF outreach to promote workplace safety through our
online safety resources.
The Ninth Annual SOHO Show, held
at the Convention Center in downtown
Syracuse, is tailored to small businesses. Using a laptop, many got to see
our web site first-hand as NYSIF representatives demonstrated its online
features—with special emphasis on
information and safety materials available to small business owners.
Businesses large or small, insurance
representatives, risk managers—our
site has something for everyone. Visit
www.nysif.com and see for yourself.
NYSIF Glossary Guide
Find Common Workers’ Comp. Terms at www.nysif.com under About NYSIF.
Advocate for Business The NYS WCB Advocate for Business assists employers in New York State by resolving problems and answering questions that
businesses have regarding their workers’ compensation concerns.
NYSIF Workers’ Comp. Advisor 5 January, February, March 2007
Safety Matters
Fall Prevention
In addition to
keeping walkways,
stairs and parking
lots cleared of ice
and snow, use sand
to provide better
traction on slippery
outdoor surfaces and
encourage employees to wear approprilips, trips and falls rank as the top cause of injury claims
ate footwear with
received by NYSIF—28% of all open workplace injury
non-skid soles to
claims received last year. Nationally, this category is sechelp minimize slips
ond only to vehicular accidents as the leading cause of injuries
and trips.
and fatalities in the workplace.
“Simple hazard
Falls can result in minor injuries such as contusions and abrareduction, following
sions, or more serious outcomes—fractures, sprains and strains,
these suggestions,
traumatic head and spinal injuries, and death. According to the
can prevent financial
Occupational Health and Safety Administration, falls resulted in
losses for employer
2,502 workplace deaths in 2005. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
and claimant, as well
(BLS) reports that injuries sustained in falls resulted in 307,755
as a debilitating, or
lost work days the same year.
life-altering, injury,”
The total ‘cost’ of a fall goes beyond calculated medical and
Mr. Dombroff said.
indemnity costs. More than 8,000 NYSIF claimants have suf- Safety materials at nysif.com to print and distribIn 2005, BLS
fered life-altering injuries resulting from falls. For the injured ute for training include titles such as Proper House
reports, falls on the
worker, “even a minor injury or fracture can result in a lifelong Keeping, Fall Prevention Basics, Ladder Safety and
same level (caused
case of back pain, or orthopedic problems including loss of full Avoiding Slips and Falls (above).
by trips or slips)
range of motion. This can translate into the possibility of being
unable to resume work, or to perform the same task, or perform it as resulted in 176,019 lost work days, falls to a lower level, 86,946 lost
well,” according to NYSIF’s Gary Dombroff, a Certified Safety work days, and falls down stairs or steps, 20,074 lost work days.
Consultant (CSC) and AMCOMP certified Workers’ Compensation Falls from ladders accounted for another 24,086 lost work days. Toe
boards, hand rails, guard rails and barriers can help prevent falls
Professional.
For the employer, there’s the loss of productivity, the potential from elevated surfaces, such as from loading docks or platforms.
need to replace a worker, a drop-off in morale among co-workers,
and the effect such claims have on your experience rating.
QUICK
QUICK
CARD
CARD
Given the high personal and industrial cost of slips, trips and falls,
Supported Scaffold
and the relatively inexpensive ways of preventing them, there’s no
Fall Protection Tips
Inspection Tips
reason why they shouldn’t command our attention. NYSIF safety
• Identify all potential tripping and fall hazards
experts put together the following tips to minimize these accidents:
before work starts.
No. 1 Claim Reported to NYSIF
Don’t Let Up
On Fall Protection
S
TM
TM
Inspect scaffolds and scaffold parts daily, before each
work shift, and after any event that may have caused
damage.
• Inspect fall protection
equipment for defects
before use.
Fully Planked
Guardrails
and
Toeboard
• Select, wear, and use fall
protection equipment
appropriate for the task.
• Secure and stabilize all
ladders before climbing
them.
Access Gate
Crossbraces
Plumb
Vertical
• Never stand on the top
rung/step of a ladder.
• Use handrails when you
go up or down stairs.
Mudsill
Baseplate
• Practice good housekeeping. Keep cords, welding
leads and air hoses out
of walkways or adjacent
work areas.
Access Ladder
• Check legs, posts, frames, and uprights to see if they
are on baseplates and mudsills.
• Check metal components for bends, cracks, holes, rust,
welding splatter, pits, broken welds, and non-compatible parts.
• Check for safe access. Do not use the crossbraces as a
ladder for access or exit.
Occupational
Safety and Health
Administration
U.S. Department of Labor
www.osha.gov (800) 321-OSHA
Occupational
Safety and Health
Administration
U.S. Department of Labor
www.osha.gov (800) 321-OSHA
OSHA 3318-09-06
For more complete information:
OSHA 3257-11R-05
¥ Adhere to good housekeeping.
¥ Keep hallways, stairwells and floors clear of obstructions.
¥ Wipe up spills immediately.
¥ Remove snow and ice from outdoor walkways.
¥ Use barriers or wet floor signs when and where
appropriate.
¥ Use non-skid floor coverings on stairs.
¥ Properly mark changes in floor level.
¥ Fill in holes and cracks.
¥ Secure carpeting and carpet edges.
¥ Cover loose electrical cords; run them under the floor
structure, or overhead.
¥ Keep lower cabinet and desk drawers closed when
not in use.
• Check to see if powerlines near scaffolds are deenergized or that the scaffolds are at least 10 feet away
from energized powerlines.
• Make sure that tools and materials are at least 10 feet
away from energized powerlines.
• Verify that the scaffold is the correct type for the loads,
materials, employees, and weather conditions.
• Check footings to see if they are level, sound, rigid,
and capable of supporting the loaded scaffold.
• Look for fall hazards
such as unprotected floor
openings/edges, shafts,
skylights, stairwells, and
roof openings/edges.
Fall protection and supportescaffold inspection tips are two topics
covered by OSHA Quick Cards, available in English and Spanish at
www.osha.gov/OshDoc/quickcards.html
NYSIF Workers’ Comp. Advisor 6 January, February, March 2007
Safety Matters
Fall Prevention
NYSIF Albany Field Services Supervisor Augusto Bortoloni,
CSC, an OSHA-authorized outreach trainer, notes: “Slips, trips and
falls cause the majority of general industry accidents [and] result in
15% of all accidental workplace death.”
A
FallPrevention
for Aboveground StorageTanks
What is Fall Prevention?
Fall prevention means keeping accidents from
happening. Using equipment like guardrails, stair
rails, travel restraint systems, safety nets, arrest systems (harnesses), self-retracting lifelines/lanyards
and ladder safety devices help keep us from falling
and avoid a hard landing if we do fall. This fact
sheet encourages prevention. Fall protection should
be used where required by policy or by the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.
little attention to reduce the hazards of slips, trips and falls
can save a lot of pain and money. Case in point: The
January 2006 Advisor reported how NYSIF’s Russ Fitch,
CSC, established a program of loss assessment and prevention and
put a structure in place for North Country Academy, a group of day
care and pre-school facilities headquartered in Balston Spa, NY,
experiencing an inordinate amount of slips, trips and falls.
Identifying root causes, such as toys on the floor, Mr. Fitch also
pointed out that rushing, hurrying and not following safety rules are
often contributory culprits when it comes to slips, trips and falls.
Basing his remedial action plan on simple housekeeping tips and
basic safety fundamentals—an established written safety policy,
active safety committee, solid training program, and an analysis of
work-related accidents and injuries—the policyholder’s turnaround
was an astounding success.
Two rules that set the tenor for their success are applicable to any
business: “Your first responsibility is to learn safe procedures for
performing your work assignment. Your second responsibility is to
use only safe procedures in your work.”
A
ttention to detail and analysis can prevent many of these
accidents. “By doing an analysis of their workplaces and
identifying what employees are tripping over or slipping
on, employers can mitigate many of the risks for injury,” says
NYSIF’s Nassau Field Rep. Douglas Maier, CSC.
“Reviewing the workplace typically reveals wires, tools or parts
on the floor, spills of liquids such as grease or oil, all of which can
cause a fall,” he added. “Other common problems, especially at
construction sites, include broken ladders with missing rungs, and
missing or broken planks on platforms or scaffolds.”
NYSIF’s web site is a good place to turn for free safety resources
to download to educate employees about avoiding the hazards of
trips, slips and falls, such as Safety Posters, Checklists and training
materials. Visit http://ww3.nysif.com/SafetyRiskManagement.aspx
or click the Safety and Risk Management tab from the homepage at
www.nysif.com to access these resources all free of charge.
OSHA also provides an extensive checklist to help employers and
employees identify potential trip hazards and take corrective action.
The list may be downloaded at http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/small-business.html#walk. OSHA’s downloadable training program, Walking-Working Surfaces, may be accessed from the
same site as a zip file and extracted for use in employee education.
NYSIF Monthly Safety Topics
Find a featured safety topic each month at www.nysif.com
January Cold Weather Hazards
February Components Of A Safe Workplace
March Personal Protective Equipment
Fall Prevention Priorities
• Try to do a job from ground level
• Use passive controls such as handrails
• Use fall protection equipment to help avoid
hard landings
Fall Hazards In and Around Tanks
• Holes in walking or working surfaces
• Poorly secured ladders
• Faulty scaffolds
• Untidy or congested work areas
• Obstructed walkways
• Improper use of equipment or procedures
• At ground level around the tank
• On tank stairs, ladders, platforms, rooftops,
scaffolds or girders
• Slippery floors and obstacles inside the tank
The Bottom Line
• Understand the hazards for specific tasks
• Minimize risk by real-time hazard review
• Think, look and correct before starting work
• Follow procedures and get necessary permits
• Use good judgment
• If in doubt, ask someone with experience
This new OSHA/Safe Tank Alliance fact sheet covers fall protection
requiring lifelines and other restraints, and offers basic prevention tips
FRAUD FILE
NYSIF Tops Fraud Arrest High Mark
With more than 140 arrests by late-December, NYSIF’s
Division of Confidential Investigations (DCI) surged past its
benchmark for insurance fraud arrests—126—set in 2005,
tops in New York. NYSIF’s 2006 anti-fraud campaign
closed the year with workers’ comp. fraud sweeps covering
Westchester, Putnam, Queens and Nassau counties.
NYSIF realized CEO David P. Wehner’s vow for a
tougher crackdown on fraud through the cooperative efforts
of DCI, the NYS Insurance Department Frauds Bureau, the
Workers’ Comp. Board Fraud Inspector General, the NYS
Attorney General’s Office and local law enforcement.
“We take our
role seriously in
controlling workers’ comp. costs in
New York State
and we take an
aggressive
approach to
attacking fraud,”
CEO Wehner
said.
DCI Dir. Larry LaPointe (r.) at Westchester press conference
NYSIF Workers’ Comp. Advisor 7 January, February, March 2007
Governor Eliot Spitzer
Chairman Robert H. Hurlbut
CEO/Executive Director David P. Wehner
Commissioners
Chairman Robert H. Hurlbut, President, The Hurlbut
Trust • Vice Chairman Donald T. DeCarlo, Esq., Law
Office of Donald T. DeCarlo • C. Scott Bowen,
Director, Gov’t. Relations & Economic Development,
SUNY Binghamton • John F. Carpenter, Executive VP,
Streeter Associates, Inc. (retired) • Jane A.
Halbritter, President, Stonehedge Nursing Home, Inc.
• Charles L. Loiodice, President/CEO, Paris
Maintenance, Inc. • William A. O’Loughlin,
O’Loughlin Financial Group & Brookstreet Securities
Business Managers
Lorna Morris Safety Group Office 1
Sherwin Taylor Safety Group Office 2
John DeFazio Group 90 Metro Office
John Eng NYC Division
Ed Obertubbesing Albany
Ronald Reed Buffalo
James Fehrer Binghamton
Cliff Meister Nassau
Lisa Ellsworth Rochester
Eileen Wojnar Suffolk
Kathleen Campbell Syracuse
Carl Heitner White Plains
William O’Loughlin Named to NYSIF
Board of Commissioners
illiam A. O’Loughlin, Jr., an investment advisor for
almost 40 years, has been named to NYSIF’s Board of
Commissioners.
Long involved in industrial development in Erie County,
Mr. O’Loughlin is branch manager of the O’Loughlin
Financial Group and Brookstreet Securities in Williamsville,
a suburb of Buffalo, New York.
Beginning in 1989, Mr. O'Loughlin was elected chairman
of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency for 12
consecutive years. He also previously served as chairman of Buffalo’s Citizens
Salary Review Commission, vice chairman of the Board of Parking of the City of
Buffalo, and as commissioner of the New York State Board of Tourism (I Love
New York).
A former host of The Money Show on WBEN Radio, Mr. O’Loughlin was one of
the most popular radio personalities in Western New York. Over the last 20 years,
he has been a frequent guest on WKBW-TV (ABC) Channel 7, WGRZ-TV (NBC)
Channel 2 and WIVB-TV (CBS) Channel 4.
He also has served as a trustee of both Nardin Academy and the Kenmore Mercy
Foundation and as director of the Stadium and Auditorium Board (city of Buffalo).
A graduate of St. Bonaventure University, Mr. O’Loughlin began his career with
IBM, and served as a captain in the U.S. Army.
W
Workers’ Comp. Claims & Service 1-877-469-7432
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agency publications, [email protected]
Workers’ Comp. Advisor
New York State Insurance Fund
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13th Floor
199 Church Street
New York, NY 10007
NYSIF Workers’ Comp. Advisor 8 January, February, March 2007
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