This is the first in a five-part series of blog posts recapping our webinar, Preventing strains and sprains.
The start of SFM’s webinar focused on understanding strain and sprain injuries.
Sarah Wahlberg, Senior Claims Representative at SFM, discussed the differences between the two maladies. While both are soft-tissue injuries, strains are an injury to a muscle or tendon; sprains are injuries or tears to ligaments.
She continued her portion of the presentation with:
Symptoms
Identifying sprains and strains
Frequency and type by industry
Wahlberg, who has more than a decade of experience in the field, wrapped up her segment with SFM claims data, which shows:
A 14% increase in strain and sprain severity from 2023-24
60% increase in in costs for workers 45 and older
83% of reported back injuries are a result of strains and sprains
What causes work-related strain and sprain injuries to linger
She broke down the potential costs of an untimely claim report, which could be about $32,000 more expensive depending on the situation.
To wrap up her portion of the presentation, Hansen, who has nearly 20 years of experience in the field, provided examples of SFM’s return-to-work resources.
This is the third in a five-part series of blog posts recapping our webinar, Preventing strains and sprains.
The third portion of SFM’s webinar focused on identifying ergonomic risk factors in the workplace.
Sara Cooper, Senior Loss Prevention Representative, examined how employers can make their jobsites safer and mitigate the potential for musculoskeletal disorders. The three primary ergonomic risks in the workplace come from:
Force
Repetition
Awkward postures
At the same time, there are individual risk factors that can exacerbate ergonomic risk factors, such as poor health, not recognizing early warning signs, not resting and recovering correctly, etc.
Safety leaders should also keep an eye out for other ergonomic risk factors, Cooper said, including compression or contact stress, cold temperatures and vibration.
Lastly, she wrapped up her portion of the presentation by discussing the hierarchy of controls, a system of addressing workplace hazards from most to least effective:
Eliminating the hazard
Substituting the hazard (replacing it)
Engineering controls (isolating people from the hazard)
Administrative controls – changing how people work
This is the fourth in a five-part series of blog posts recapping our webinar, Preventing strains and sprains.
The fourth segment of SFM’s webinar focused on implementing solutions for the workplace risk factors identified in the previous section. (See Part III below for more information.)
Here, Eric Johnson, Loss Prevention Specialist, discussed minimizing ergonomic risk factors in the workplace. He gave specific examples of things employers can do to reduce musculoskeletal disorders created by high-force loads, repetition and awkward postures.
Johnson, who has about 20 years of experience in the field, also provided information on other methods to prevent musculoskeletal disorders, such as stretching programs, getting employees to move more during work hours and encouraging them to drink more water.
Additionally, he outlined safety programs and training opportunities employers can use to help maintain a safe workplace. To wrap up his portion of the presentation, Johnson encouraged annual reviews of:
This is the fifth in a five-part series of blog posts recapping our webinar, Preventing strains and sprains.
The final section of SFM’s presentation focused on the legal aspects of strain and sprain injuries.
John Hollick, Chief Defense Counsel at SFM’s in-house law firm, outlined the legal issues that can arise from these injuries and their impact on workers’ compensation benefits.
“The legal standard, generally, is that for an injury to be compensable, it’s not necessary that the employment be the only cause of the condition for which benefits are sought,” Hollick said. “It is sufficient that the employment is a substantial contributing factor. In many cases, it is up to the medical provider to determine what constitutes a substantial contributing factor. Or, in other words, whether the work activities more likely than not caused the injury.”
Hollick, who has decades of experience in the field, also talked about the risks and costs associated with litigated claims. He finished his portion of the presentation by examining the pros and cons of conducting surveillance, outlining the litigation process and discussing what policyholders can do to reduce the risk of litigation.
Skip isn’t the only superhero who cares about safety. School bus drivers play the role of safety hero every day as they go about their jobs.
The 2025 National School Bus Safety Week is Oct. 20-24, and it reminds us of bus drivers’ important roles in getting people where they’re going safely.
National School Bus Safety Week brings awareness to the dangers for drivers, students and pedestrians. It’s everyone’s responsibility to stay safe around school buses.
School bus driver safety tips and resources
Bus drivers have additional duties beyond transportation. Drivers must be aware of their own risk of injury, while driving safely and keeping an eye on their surroundings.
School Bus Safety Week offers a chance to provide drivers with a few safety basics, including:
Remember that drivers and pedestrians around you may be distracted
Use safe practices when performing checks or maintenance
Maintain three points of contact when entering or leaving the bus
Make sure everyone is seated before starting to move the bus
SFM’s safety resources help keep bus drivers injury-free, from pre-trip inspection to exiting the vehicle using 3 points of contact. Download SFM’s Supervisor Initiated Training talks tailored to transportation workers to make it easy for your leaders to have a discussion with their teams about school bus safety.
Mark your calendars now to join us for the SFM Foundation’s fall events.
The SFM Foundation is a nonprofit that helps families affected by workplace injuries by providing scholarships to children of workers disabled or killed in work-related accidents.
Next is the Minnesota fall fundraiser – a bowling event at Pinstripes in Edina . This is a new event and new location for 2025. It will be held Thursday, Nov. 6.
More details will be announced as the events draw near.
Other SFM Foundation updates
Earlier this year, the SFM Foundation announced nearly $600,000 in new scholarships, a record since the organization was founded in 2008.
“We have seen a steady uptick in the number of applicants for our scholarship, so being able to award more students and provide more funding this year is amazing,” said Deb Zorn, the foundation’s Scholarship Director. “It’s so rewarding to see these young people follow their dreams with the support of the foundation community.”
This year marks the highest number of scholarships awarded in the foundation’s history – 19.
Also, the SFM Foundation’s summer golf tournaments generated $150,000.
“We are so grateful for the continued support of our agent partners, clients and others in the community,” said Linda Williams, President of the SFM Foundation. “Without their generosity, we wouldn’t be able to help as many students as we do each year.”
About the SFM Foundation
The SFM Foundation was created in 2008 by SFM Companies. The nonprofit is dedicated to easing the burdens on families affected by workplace accidents. Scholarships are awarded regardless of which workers’ compensation insurer was involved in the claim. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded 266 scholarships totaling $4.7 million. For more information, visit sfmfoundation.com .
As summer winds down, school safety should be top of mind.
Schools face unique safety challenges relative to other types of organizations, which is why SFM has a wealth of resources available. View our School safety resources page for more, plus links to even more information for keeping schools safe.
Wes Spain has been with SFM since 2022 as a Subrogation Specialist & Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Manager. We asked Spain to share a little bit about his background and role.
Tell us little bit about your background.
I grew up in an insurance household. Both of my parents worked for insurance companies, so I watched them and how they handled insurance.
When I got out of college I worked for an insurance company, then at a rental car agency for a bit, then back in insurance for 19 years. I joined SFM in 2022 and got into subrogation. It’s been great and I really enjoy it here.
How would you describe your role in a nutshell?
To be a learner and a leader at the same time. Although I’m a leader of a team, I’m new to workers’ compensation, so I’m learning as I go. My main role is to work with my team, work with attorneys and outside surveillance vendors, handling subrogation claims, reviewing catastrophic claims for subrogation potential, as well as leading a team of SIU reps — being a coach and motivator for them, addressing any issues they have, and hopefully making life at SFM somewhat enjoyable for them.
How is SFM different from other carriers you’ve worked with?
SFM feels like your neighbors, like your family. It’s very closeknit. At other companies, you kind of feel like a tree in a forest. At SFM, you’ll have the CEO and COO asking about you and your kids and your weekend. We all know each other and have a great sense of community here.
Is there a time that stands out to you when your job was particularly rewarding?
Thursdays – I love Thursdays because that’s when we get our results entered. It is a real time measure of our success and it’s rewarding most weeks, because it’s a team effort. Many factors go into making a recovery that could reduce or eliminate our ability to recover so when you get the check it’s a good feeling.
What do you like about your job?
I like the ability to work with different people and different departments. I like working closely with my team.
We’re here to serve claims and I’ve always been a customer service guy. Any time we’re able to accomplish that though bringing back subrogation dollars or completing a strong investigation, that makes me feel like we’re getting the job done.
What’s most challenging about your job?
When I don’t know something — having to figure out who the right person is to get that answer. Being relatively new, I still don’t know exactly what everybody does. Plus, if I’ve done a process, it might have been just once. Figuring out things I don’t do very often and that aren’t in my wheelhouse keeps me on my toes.
What words of wisdom do you have for employers?
I would suggest that they treat their employees well and provide a good work-life balance.
Recognize talent early and make sure you hold onto them and reward them appropriately. Continue to push them up. The best companies have employees who mostly feel like they’re rewarded and recognized for what they do every day.
When we think about work injuries, it’s natural to focus on the physical impact to the employee. But an employee’s mental and emotional health can also suffer due to life changes surrounding the injury.
Employees who are off work due to their injuries may feel worthless or lonely. They may be unable to do activities they used to enjoy, such as sports or playing with their kids. They may not be able to do their usual household work, causing family relationships to suffer.
As an employer, you can play an important role in helping an injured worker maintain their mental health. Here’s how.
Show care and concern
One basic and important thing employers can do for injured workers is to show care and concern for their health and well-being. This can come in the form of sending notes, text messages, emails, or even flowers to let them know you’re concerned about their health and wish them a full and speedy recovery.
If they’re off work due to their injury, check in often so they know they are not forgotten and that you’re looking forward to having them back. Look for opportunities to help them maintain their social connections with coworkers. Injured workers may be nervous that they will be replaced, and won’t have a job to return to, so it helps to reassure them that this is not the case.
Point to support resources
Sometimes the mental health challenges workers face may require the help of a trained professional.
Knowing this, you can make your employees aware of any resources your company offers, such as a wellness program, health insurance benefits or an employee assistance program (EAP).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls employee assistance programs one of the most effective ways to support employees with depression or other mental health problems. Employee assistance programs also offer managers’ assistance lines, which leaders and supervisors can access for guidance when one of their employees is experiencing difficulties.
Support return to work
Bringing employees back to work as soon as their doctor will allow it demonstrates your commitment to them and their recovery. It helps alleviate worries about losing their job and gives them a way to feel productive and connected.
This may require providing light-duty work to accommodate medical restrictions. Be sure that supervisors are aware the returning employee will have limitations, so they are welcoming and understanding toward the worker. Learn more about return to work.
Emphasize positive relationships with employees
At all times, regardless of whether an employee is injured, provide a work environment where employees feel valued by their supervisors and the company. Place an emphasis on positive work relationships.
In the event of an injury, the employee will be less likely to worry, and more motivated to return to work.
In the rush of covering for an injured employee, it can be easy to lose sight of the employee’s needs. But taking even a little time to reach out and offer support can make a big difference in your employee’s mental health and recovery.
Originally published September 2022; updated August 2025.
