Author: Kris Janisch

SFM Foundation announces nearly $600,000 in new scholarships

Posted on by Kris Janisch

The SFM Foundation recently awarded this year’s round of college scholarships, helping 19 new students totaling $596,000 in funding.

“It’s incredible to see how much our organization has grown over the years,” said Linda Williams, SFM Risk and Compliance Technical Specialist, who serves as the foundation’s president. “We are so grateful to all our donors and the volunteers who make our efforts possible.”

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.

Compared to 2024, the foundation awarded four more scholarships and more than $100,000 in additional funding this year. The SFM Foundation has now awarded 266 scholarships totaling $4.7 million since its inception.

“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, SFM VP of Regional Business and the foundation’s scholarship director. “It’s so rewarding to see these young people follow their dreams with the support of the foundation community.”

‘Gold’ status for SFM Foundation

The SFM Foundation recently reached Gold Level status from Kids’ Chance of America, recognizing top-tier excellence in nonprofit operations. One of the final steps to reach that status was creating a whistleblower policy.

“One of the other criteria necessary for Gold Level of Excellence is for the State Organization to consider having a paid executive director,” Williams said. “The SFM Foundation is fortunate to rely solely on volunteers to handle its operations, and no paid staff is needed, ultimately qualifying us for the Gold Level.”

In Iowa and Minnesota, the SFM Foundation is an affiliate of Kids’ Chance of America.

“It’s an honor to reach the Gold Level from Kids’ Chance,” said Lindsay Henningsgaard, Marketing Underwriter Specialist and the foundation’s executive director. “The new designation doesn’t change our mission of helping students who have been impacted by workplace injuries, but it is nice Kids’ Chance recognized the strength of our organization.”

June golf fundraiser

The SFM Foundation’s golf fundraiser in Minnesota is full. However, people can still attend lunch, dinner or sponsor. Note, though, that sponsors will no longer be listed in print materials (deadline was May 1).

The event is set for Monday, June 9, at Prestwick Golf Club in Woodbury. Find more information on the event page . The Iowa golf fundraiser was held May 19.

“We’re always so thankful of the support of our agency partners, clients and others who contribute to our mission,” Williams said. “These golf events are not only a way to raise scholarship funds, but they also allow those involved to connect and build a community.”

About the SFM Foundation

The SFM Foundation was created in 2008 by SFM Companies, a regional workers’ compensation insurance group headquartered in Bloomington, Minn. The nonprofit is dedicated to easing the burdens on families affected by workplace accidents. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded 266 scholarships totaling $4.7 million. For more information, visit sfmfoundation.com .

The SFM Foundation is an affiliate of Kids’ Chance of America in Iowa and Minnesota.

 

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Get to know an SFM Team Leader: Nathan Gaffaney

Posted on by Kris Janisch

SFM Team Leader Nathan Gaffaney
SFM Team Leader Nathan Gaffaney

Nathan Gaffaney has been with SFM since 2001, holding a variety of roles during his tenure here. In 2024, he was promoted to Team Leader. We asked Gaffaney to share a little bit about his background and role.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

My first job out of college was at SFM. I started with a claims training program and worked as a claims adjuster for three and a half years. Then I transferred to premium audit and the finance department — at that time, those two departments were combined. I worked in those areas for several years.

Then transferred to our North team as an underwriter until January of 2024, when I was promoted to the team business leader position.

Why have you stayed at SFM as long as you have?

I’ve had great managers along the way — they’ve probably seen things in me that I don’t see in myself and encouraged me to try different things.

I was also part of SFM’s Aspire program, which looks to identify people as future leaders. That was almost 10 years ago. But I’ve enjoyed the ability to have different roles at SFM the flexibility to try different things and stay with a company that’s great to its employees.

How would you describe your role in a nutshell?

In my current role, I’m overseeing three different disciplines for the North team — medical-only claims, loss prevention and nurse case managers. And I continue to have an underwriting/marketing role where I’m out talking to different agencies.

Is there a time that stands out to you when your job was particularly rewarding?

I’ve always enjoyed the relationships that I’ve been able to build with my agents.

When I ended up in the underwriter role and the marketing piece of the job, I really developed lifelong friendships with some of the people I worked with as clients. That’s been one of the most rewarding pieces.

What do you like about your job?

The people. I know that’s cliché, but the coworkers and clients I work with, the leaders I’ve had, they’ve all been great people and were always looking out for me.

I also like the vision of the company and what we’re doing and trying to do it well. We’re always focused on doing the next right thing, like Terry (Miller, SFM President and CEO) says. That’s big for me.

What’s most challenging about your job?

For me, in my current role, I hadn’t managed people before — so it’s been a lot of learning the nuances of managing people and their different roles and how you can assist them and be an advocate for them even when you’re not an expert in that particular role. So that’s been the hardest piece of it for me.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m married with four kids — my son was married in October and my oldest daughter is getting married this year. I also enjoy golfing, downhill skiing and taking my golden retriever out for walks. And I’m an avid Minnesota sports fan.

 

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CompOnline admin change: Unique email addresses required for new users

Posted on by Kris Janisch

CompOnline users for the same policy must now have different email addresses. CompOnline® is SFM’s web-based claims portal for policyholders.

Administrators can no longer create a new user if another user is already assigned the same email address for the same policy.

We added this requirement to prevent admins from accidentally creating duplicate accounts, and in preparation to allow users to log in with their email address later this year.

If you have any questions about this change, please contact us.

 

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Benefits of SHARP safety programs

Posted on by Kris Janisch

Businesses that take safety seriously may consider pursuing the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP ) through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Being awarded SHARP status demonstrates excellence in safety.

The initiative recognizes employers who have used OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program services and “operate exemplary safety and health programs.”

By reaching SHARP status, an employer is granted an exemption from OSHA-programmed inspections for up to two years.

OSHA also outlines other benefits of the program:

  • Protecting workers and developing safe practices and programs
  • Lower workers’ compensation premiums
  • Improve your worker retention
  • Reduce employee days away from work
  • Better workplace morale and culture
  • Establishing a reputation for leadership and safety

In addition to the federal SHARP, similar programs exist at the state level across the U.S. A few examples of state-led SHARP initiatives include:

Minnesota

To be recognized by MNSHARP , companies must work with state officials to develop and implement a written safety program, which must include:

  • Management leadership and employee involvement
  • An allocation of resources to address safety issues
  • Systems that identify and control workplace hazards
  • A plan for employee safety training and education

Incentives for participating include assistance from the Minnesota OSHA Workplace Safety Consultation unit, public recognition for employers and employees and exemption from Minnesota OSHA Compliance scheduled inspection lists.

Minnesota also has a program specifically geared toward the construction industry .

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin SHARP initiative is run through the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

To achieve SHARP status, a company must:

  • Have a history of maintaining an injury and illness rate below the national average for its industry
  • Participate in a comprehensive consultation visit for both safety and health
  • Participate in a full evaluation of the health and safety management program in place for the company
  • Involve employees in the consultation and safety management processes
  • Correct all serious, other-than-serious, and regulatory hazards found
  • Have all basic elements for managing health and safety in place

Nebraska

In Nebraska, the state’s SHARP requires qualifying employers to go through a comprehensive consultation and review.

Companies must agree to a safety and health survey by state officials, review of an employer’s safety and health program, correct any hazards identified, and more. Once a business is SHARP certified, the benefits include :

  • Learning how to maintain a safe and healthy workplace through the development and implementation of proven effective safety and health management systems
  • Receiving no-cost consultative assistance and training provided by qualified professionals experienced in helping employers develop safety and health management programs and identify safety and health problem areas
  • Meeting program requirements to obtain a certificate of recognition from OSHA and removing the company from OSHA’s routine inspection list for one year

The Nebraska Department of Labor also presents a certificate of recognition and a SHARP program flag from the state’s governor and commissioner of labor.

Conclusion

Safety should be of paramount concern for all employers. And there are benefits to following strong safety procedures.

Check the OSHA SHARP website for more information.

OSHA launches severe injury report dashboard

Posted on by Kris Janisch

Safety-focused employers have a new tool to spot trends and learn which serious injuries may be most prevalent in their industry.

In September 2024 , the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched a new severe injury dashboard.

The digital tool — which includes information on severe injuries going back to 2015 — allows users to search and download data by:

  • Year
  • Industry
  • State
  • Establishment name
  • Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System codes

As of this writing, the dashboard includes data through July 31, 2024, and gives users the ability to filter and download results. The filters are detailed, accounting for hundreds of different injury types, the source of the injury and even which body part was affected.

The dashboard provides an example of a broad search result showing incidents since 2015:

  • More than 93,000 total severe injury reports
  • Nearly 76,300 total workers hospitalized
  • Nearly 25,000 total workers with amputations

For a more granular example, one could search for 2023 severe injuries in hospitals in Wisconsin. Though that search only returns three results — two hospitalized workers and one amputation — the dashboard also provides specifics on the injuries:

  • Fall on same level due to tripping over an object
  • Fall on same level due to slipping
  • Injured by slipping or swinging object held by injured worker

Safety professionals could use broader search results, and go back several years, to find potential areas for improvements depending on the workplace type.

Lastly, OSHA has provided an instructional video on how to use the dashboard.

Next SFM webinar to focus on preventing sprains and strains

Posted on by Kris Janisch

SFM strains and sprains webinarSFM regularly holds educational webinars to help policyholders manage the complexities of workers’ compensation issues.

The next webinar, set for 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, June 25, is Preventing sprains and strains, an SFM webinar for policyholders. Register now .

Our experts will explore how employers can help reduce the occurrence of strain and sprain injuries — the most common type of injury reported to SFM. Additionally, the webinar will cover several other aspects of sprains and strains, including:

  • What constitutes a strain or sprain injury
  • How these injuries typically occur
  • Manager and supervisor responsibilities to report injuries and during the claim process
  • How to identify individual and workplace risk factors
  • Why an organization’s safety program should include ergonomic training
  • Legal aspects to a strain or sprain injury
  • How to reduce the risk of litigation of a claim
  • Much more, including a question-and-answer session at the end

Need some tips for preventing these injuries before the webinar? Here are related resources about the topic:

Also, you can check out previous SFM webinars on our website.

 

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Incorporating de-escalation into your workplace safety program

Posted on by Kris Janisch

This is the second in a four-part series of SFM blogs recapping our November 2024 webinar, De-escalation in the workplace, An SFM webinar for policyholders.

The second segment of SFM’s de-escalation webinar focused on incorporating these tactics into workplace safety programs.

Carl Gruber, SFM Loss Prevention Specialist, outlined the four basic elements of creating a de-escalation training program:

  • Define responsibilities
  • Select a training program that suits the business
  • Create the training program
  • Craft goals and plan for continuing education

A strong safety program that includes de-escalation tactics can help employers retain workers and establish a safe working environment, Gruber said.

“We all know that retention of staff is a huge thing right now — not just from the time and money aspect of recruiting, but also from the aspect of getting the right person for the job,” he said. “You picked that individual for a reason. And you don’t want the reason they are leaving to be because they feel unsafe or like they don’t belong.”

Gruber also discussed selecting training programs based on the type of business, including:

  • School districts
  • Health care
  • Other categories of employers and factors to consider (type of worksite, schedules, guests being onsite, etc.)

Check out the complete recording of webinar, and keep an eye out for future blogs highlighting other sections of the presentation.

An introduction: Workplace violence and de-escalation

Posted on by Kris Janisch

This is the first in a four-part series of SFM blogs recapping our November 2024 webinar, De-escalation in the workplace, An SFM webinar for policyholders.

More than 20,000 private-industry workers experienced nonfatal workplace violence in 2020, according to a 2024 report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

That’s why de-escalation in the workplace is so important.

In November 2024, SFM held a webinar focused on de-escalation. Dana Mickelson, SFM Loss Prevention Specialist, kicked off the presentation by:

  • Defining workplace violence
  • Discussing the prevalence of workplace violence and injuries
  • Defining de-escalation

“It is important to recognize that such violence can have broader implications beyond workers’ compensation,” said Mickelson, who has 21 years of experience in the field.

Mickelson further outlines categories of workplace violence:

  • Criminal intent
  • Incidents between customers and clients (most common)
  • Worker on worker violence (workplace or interpersonal conflicts)
  • Physical relationships (spouses or significant others)

“All categories could result in workers’ compensation claims, depending on the factors of the incident,” Mickelson said.

Health care and school environments more likely to see workplace violence, she said, relaying injury data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including days missed based on workplace violence incidents. Mickelson also cited SFM claims data, which aligns with national trends.

There are certain factors that contribute to workplace violence, including working alone, working in areas with a high crime rate, jobs where alcohol is served and others.

Lastly, Mickelson provided a definition of de-escalation: The process of managing others’ behaviors using several tactics, including verbal and non-verbal communication.

Check out the complete recording of webinar, and keep an eye out for future blogs highlighting other sections of the presentation.

AM Best reaffirms SFM’s Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent)

Posted on by Kris Janisch

SFM Mutual Insurance Co. announced today that its Financial Strength Rating of “A- (Excellent)” and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” have been confirmed again by AM Best Rating Services, Inc.

Following a detailed analysis of SFM’s balance sheet, operating performance, business profile, innovation initiatives and enterprise risk management, AM Best reaffirmed SFM’s standing. Also, before publicly disclosing the rating in April 2025, AM Best conducted a thorough review of SFM’s finances and operations.

“In our annual review with AM Best, we were pleased to once again demonstrate how our commitment to service excellence delivers strong results,” SFM President and CEO Terry Miller said. “We consider the organization’s assessment to be a key indicator of SFM’s long-term financial strength and stability.”

About AM Best

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com .

 

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Building on a strong 2024, SFM off to a good start in 2025

Posted on by Kris Janisch

Total premium by industry SFM is off to a fast start in 2025, building on the success of last year.

Claims frequency and severity were down through the first quarter of the year, and SFM saw fewer medical-only claims than expected. Following a strong January, premium is on plan through Q1, though the market continues to be competitive.

Another noteworthy item is that SFM set a record in 2024 for returning policyholders.

“Our results so far this year reflect our overall philosophy of measured, steady growth,” said Steve Sandilla, Senior VP and Chief Business Officer. “As we look to build on a good first quarter, we want to remind our agent partners that we look forward to working together to generate new business, as well.”

Meanwhile, SFM continues to garner market share in its core states. The recently released 2024 rankings for SFM are:

  • Minnesota – 1 (no change in rank, but did slightly increase market share)
  • South Dakota – 3
  • Iowa – 6
  • Nebraska – 7
  • Wisconsin – 10

At the same time, SFM also saw increases in its newer states — Kansas, Indiana and Tennessee all improved market share in 2024.

The latest figures come from regular industry reports issued by SNL Financial. SNL, a data analytics firm within the S&P Global organization, issues an annual insurance industry study that compares market share and ranks carriers within each state of operation.

Also, as a refresher, some of the highlights from 2024 include:

  • 95.5% policyholder retention rate
  • Added 6,800 new policyholders, resulting in new business premium of over $26 million
  • Total written premium for the year: $272 million
  • Another year of an A- rating from AM Best
  • SFM Foundation up to $4.1 million in total scholarships awarded

For more on last year’s numbers, see the Agent Agenda article from January.

Returning policyholders

Several years ago, SFM began tracking those policyholders who went with another insurer but later came back to SFM. And in 2024, that was a record number.

More than 300 employers that had previously moved to other carriers returned to SFM last year, boosting the bottom line and reaffirming the value policyholders see in SFM’s dedication to customer service. A broad spectrum of companies returned to SFM in 2024, but there were more large accounts that came back last year than is typical.

“Work comp insurance buyers must make a renewal decision every year,” said Mike Happe, Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer. “That said, maintaining such a great customer renewal retention rate — and having so many departed customers return each year — are proof of the value of SFM’s high quality level of service that we provide, day in and day out.”

 

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