Spotlight on Safety
Quarterly Newsletter for Safety and Loss Prevention
Winter 2004, Vol. 5; No. 4
Winter...
This time of year is spectacular for getting out and enjoying
some refreshing, frigid air. Students around campus begin to resemble
colorful polar bears as they wrap themselves in puffy, winter
jackets. Winter also brings some safety concerns here on campus.
This winter's newsletter will cover important safety topics that
all students, faculty, and staff should consider. The safety topics
covered will include worker's compensation, identity theft, depression,
and mercury safety.
UND Injury Management
Many injuries occur during the winter months. To assist in the
process of filing a claim for work-related injuries on campus,
here is a checklist for supervisors and employees to follow during
this process:
UND CLAIMS MANAGEMENT CHECKLIST
Use this checklist when a workers compensation claim has been filed following a University of North Dakota (UND) work-related injury. Contact the Safety and Environmental Health Office at 777-3341 for questions regarding Incident Reports or claims management.
___1. Immediately inform your supervisor of the injury.
___2. See a University of North Dakota (UND) Designated Medical Provider (DMP). (DMP's: UND Family Practice, UND Student Health and Altru Health Services.) For emergency injuries, go to the nearest emergency facility. Inform supervisor of treatment outcome with all injuries.
___3. If work restrictions are put into effect, give a copy of the workability assessment to your supervisor. The supervisor is to fax these restrictions to 777-4132 or send them to the Safety Office Box 9031. The Incident Report also is to be sent to the Safety Office within twenty-four hours.
___4. The Safety Office will initiate a workers compensation claim for you on-line (via computer) once your Incident Report is received. All injured employees must go to the Safety Office and sign the Worker's Claim for Injury (Form C1). If there are accessability concerns, call 777-3341.
___5. If the DMP has assigned time off from work, you must inform your supervisor and Claims Coordinator at 777-6232 immediately. Arrangements for modified duty may be considered. Documentation is required if any work will be missed.
___6. Follow your work restrictions twenty-four hours a day.
___7. Attend all medical appointments. Get updated work restrictions at every appointment and give them to your supervisor. Inform Claims Coordinator of all medical appointments and referrals. Continue with medical appointments until released from all work restrictions.
___8. Call all care providers and give them your claim number once received.
___9. Report any concerns regarding modified duty to your supervisor.
___10. Indicate who is responsible for writing restrictions for your injury. Only one doctor, physician's assistant, nurse practitioner, or physical therapist can be responsible for writing restrictions.
___11. You or your supervisor may be contacted by a North Dakota Workers Compensation Case Manager from Altru Health Systems. You may answer their questions, but the internal UND process is unchanged.
The North Dakota Workforce Safety and Insurance (formerly Workers
Compensation Bureau) determines if a claim will be accepted. Call
their toll-free number (1-800-777-5033) if you have any questions
about the acceptance of your claim. Have your claim number available
when you call.
Depression
Although the landscape this time of year is softly painted white, many only perceive things in deep blue. During the long winter months, chronic depression can emerge to envelope its victims in hopelessness and fear. Unlike the brief experience of feeling sad after a recent loss, chronic depression lingers around for long periods of time. Left unchecked, it quickly drains one's enjoyment of life. Chronic depression is a serious medical illness affecting millions of people around the world.
The last thing anyone wants to think about after the holiday season is theft. But criminals do some of their best work after holiday shopping sprees have ended. One of the most rapidly growing crimes in America is identity theft. Identity theft is the fraudulent use of someone's name and identifying data to acquire credit, merchandise, or services. The three most valuable pieces of information crooks look for are your full name, Social Security number, and date of birth. Don't fool yourself by thinking you're safe here in rural North Dakota. If you use a credit card, mail checks, shop on-line, or recycle personal information, you are at risk! Here are some valuable tips to safeguard your personal information:
-Never use e-mail to send personal information such as Social
Security or credit card numbers.
-Read privacy policies before shopping on-line. Make sure the
web site is a secure location.
-Check financial statements promptly. Many victims of ID theft
are unaware the crime is even occurring.
-Make sure posted mail is kept in a secure location.
-Always keep credit cards in full view when paying with plastic.
Employees can swipe a credit card across a hidden reader to steal
information - a practice known as "skimming".
-Shred important documents and mail before discarding in the trash.
Use a shredder that crosscuts paper.
Safety and Environmental Health Office
Box 9031
Grand Forks, ND 58202
Phone: (701)777-3341
Fax: (701)777-4132
