Why we do what we do
A worker had been killed.
Four months into his work as an outsourced risk manager, David Leng pulled into a manufacturing plant that should have been loud. What he found there is why this program exists.
Start a conversationThe Employer Success ProgramChanging the game
In just the fourth month of my career as an outsourced risk manager, I pulled into the parking lot of a large manufacturer for the first time. I did not realize that making that turn would change my life and my focus forever. What should have been a very loud manufacturing plant was silent, except for the EMS, police and fire department radios.
A worker had been killed.
Since that day, I have kept seeing the impact that one loss had. On the owner of the company, who was a longtime personal friend of the employee. And the bigger impact on the employee's family. His death left a hole bigger than you can imagine in the lives of his wife and two boys, both under the age of three at the time.
I saw how little workers' compensation insurance really does for a family, and I saw the lifelong changes that followed.
All of it came from an event that could have been prevented by either of two people. If one of them had taken 15 to 60 seconds, this employee might still be alive today. If one of them had paused, realized what they were about to do could end badly, and done it differently...
From that day on, my goal has been to have employees go home the same, safe way they arrived.
Really accomplishing that goes beyond safety. Beyond insurance. It takes a deeper understanding of a client's operations, their employees, and the culture that drives the organization. You have to have an impact on all of it to reach what sounds like a simple goal.
It took more than 10 years to develop new ways of identifying and managing the risks and issues our clients face. That meant creating and putting in place culture changing programs and processes, including behavior-based safety to eliminate injuries. It meant changing how our clients hire and orient new employees, to wipe out the higher injury rates new hires tend to have. It meant breaking down the silos that often exist between operations, human resources and safety. And we keep refining the approach and the programs as times change.
What it turned into
That day is why the Employer Success Program works on people first: how they are hired, trained and supervised, and how they come back after an injury. The insurance results follow from that.
The Employer Success Program Our process | Case studies
I hope you find this site helpful as you take back control of your insurance and improve your future outcomes.
David R. Leng, CPCU, CIC, CBWA, CRM, MWCA
Chief Risk Officer and Executive Vice President, Duncan Financial Group
dleng@duncangrp.com | (724) 978-2139
Watch: why we do what we do
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