History-sm

Controlling Your Own Destiny: Safety Impacts the Bottom Line
Companies that placed their coverage with KEMI in
1995/1996 had likely not experienced the type of
workers’ comp service or involvement KEMI was focused
on providing. With a full staff of loss education
specialists located in Kentucky, policyholders quickly
learned that KEMI’s free resources were easily
accessible. Site evaluations were conducted as a
routine course of business and available upon request
of policyholders. Effective solutions to safety concerns
on the jobsite were presented and carried forth with
KEMI’s “Control Your Own Destiny” message; a message
which has resonated over the years with businesses that
accepted KEMI’s recommendations and implemented
improved safety measures within their workplace. As a
result, those businesses saw reductions in their workers’
compensation premiums through the stabilization of their
experience modification, rate reductions, the application
of credits, and even preferred pricing. KEMI’s approach
to loss control has made safety a worthwhile investment
for policyholders.
At every opportunity KEMI has endeavored to make
safety and loss education affordable for Kentucky
businesses. In addition to safety materials and
evaluations, in 2010, KEMI’s loss education specialists
began offering free OSHA training courses in General
Industry and Construction Training which provides an
incredible value for businesses. One attendee expressed
the appreciation of his company as follows: “Our
Superintendents who have gone through similar training
in the past all noted how beneficial and common sense
that his (KEMI trainer) approach to the course was. We
appreciate that he trained us on our level and for the
position that we represent in the field. Everyone was
very satisfied that they learned a great deal more with
his approach to training than any other trainer that they
have had in the past. Retention should be very high
with this approach and that means more success for our
company.”
At KEMI we have earned a tremendous amount of
respect in the workers’ compensation marketplace
both in Kentucky and beyond with such efforts. Our
employees are working hard each day to empower
KEMI policyholders to control their own destiny by
making workplace safety a top priority.
But our efforts to promote workplace safety do not stop
with just KEMI customers. Take, for example, the KEMI
Mine Safety & Training Competition held in Pikeville
each year.
This annual KEMI event is free of charge for all coal
companies to attend and features more than 500 coal
miners competing in events for Mine Rescue, Pre-Shift,
Bench and First-Aid.
In 2011, over 50 coal companies from Alabama,
Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and
West Virginia were in attendance, and more than 200
officials from the Mine Safety & Health Administration
(MSHA) and the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and
Licensing (OMSL) served as judges for the three-day
safety training event.
KEMI recognizes that our commitment and message of
safety must reach beyond just our policyholders; we
must engage this close-knit industry by offering safety
training to anyone who is interested. While several
employees were focused on promoting this free event
to policyholders and other coal companies in Kentucky,
a coordinated communications effort was underway to
draw in out-of-state competition as well. The result in
our first year: more than 20 coal companies from five
different states attended KEMI’s free safety event,
and the word spread quickly throughout the industry
that KEMI was offering an opportunity too good to be
passed up.
We are proud to report that in only its fourth year, the
KEMI Mine Safety & Training Competition has grown to
be the largest annual mine safety event in the nation.
8