Tag Archive for: Workplace Injuries

Heartsink Patients

Heartsink” is the term for how the treater feels when it is difficult if not impossible to help patients with chronic pain and disability. A 1989 Toronto Star editorial placed these patients into four categories: dependent clingers, entitled demanders, manipulative help-rejecters, and self-destructive deniers.
You know these injured workers. They are the ones whose life is wrapped up in their claim. The only way they will give up that obsession is to replace it with a plan for life after claim closure.Injured workers need to feel that a settlement is the just result. They need adequate compensation to create a safety net for future medical care. A WCAB hearing is often just a prelude to more conflict.

Mediation can provide the forum to help the injured worker create a plan for life without an ongoing claim.

 

Reduce Industrial Accidents– Repeal Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time (“DST”) is stupid

There is no reason for all of us to make ourselves crazy changing the clocks twice a year. DST does not save fuel and does not help farmers. Instead, it causes industrial accidents and collisions. John Oliver focused on this problem in a comedic piece on his show.

Please contact your state legislator about repealing DST.

In the last legislative session, the California legislature came thisclose to putting a proposition on the ballot on this issue. That’s right. The legislation doesn’t actually fix the problem; it passes the buck to the voters to do it. Well, OK- it’s something. At the last minute, the bill failed.

If you are a Californian, ask your state senate and assembly representatives to re-introduce and support AB-385 from the 2015-2016 session to repeal DST. You can identify your state legislators via this government website. Once you get to the contact page, if you don’t see this issue (and you probably won’t) you can identify it as a “general” or “legislative” issue.

Here is a sample message you can send.

Re: Re-introduce AB-385 (2015-16 session)

Daylight Saving Time (“DST”) is a drain on productivity. It increases industrial accidents and collisions. Retention of DST is expensive in dollars and human effort. It does not help farmers; it does not save fuel. There is no place for it in modern America. Please re-introduce in your house and support AB-385 from the 2015-2016 session to repeal DST. California has been the perennial leader that many states follow (though in this case Arizona and Hawaii already shun DST and seem to do just fine). California should be the first big state to get rid of DST and bring some sense to the simple task of keeping time. Thank you.