This week, National Underwriter profiles the three winners from our fourth annual “Awards For Excellence in Workers' Comp Risk Management” program, sponsored by NCCI.  Their efforts to maintain a high profile in risk management at a time when so many companies are focused on cutting short-term costs at the expense of long-term gains make the trio role models for their peers. Their efforts will hopefully spur others to follow in their footsteps.

The 2010 winners and links to their individual profiles are:

• Champion: American Electric Power Company, cited for its integrated disability management recovery center and its “zero harm” loss control policy (http://www.property-casualty.com/Issues/2010/August-1623-2010/Pages/Integrated-Disability-Management-Fuels-Power-Companys-Comp-Claim-Success.aspx).

• Honorable Mention: Flextronics, cited for its emphasis on accountability and its willingness to invest where needed in loss control and risk management, despite a tough economy (http://www.property-casualty.com/Issues/2010/August-1623-2010/Pages/Flextronics-Finds-Accountability-Pays-As-Allocation-Raises-Loss-Awareness.aspx).

• Honorable Mention: Nissan North America, cited for its effort to revamp its safety and return-to-work programs without reinventing the wheel, and its efforts to pass workers' comp reform legislation (http://www.property-casualty.com/Issues/2010/August-1623-2010/Pages/Without-Reinventing-The-Wheel-Automaker-Achieves-Big-WC-Savings.aspx).

The three winners received their awards from your truly and Jeff Eddinger, an NCCI official, during a special ceremony at the Workers' Compensation Educational Conference in Orlando on Aug. 16, where NU puts together the annual National Trends program.

The winning trio shared more of the secrets of their success during a panel discussion at the conference on Aug. 17. Highlights of that roundtable on loss control, safety and risk management will appear in the Oct. 25 edition of NU.

If you have a unique risk management approach or success story in how to better handle workers' comp costs and exposures, please enter next year's award program. Entry material will be available in February 2011. Just e-mail to for more informaton and an entry form at [email protected]. In fact, if you e-mail me now, I'll keep your contact on file and automatically send out the entry material when it's released early next year.

In the meantime, check out the profiles of this year's winners to learn more about their approaches to loss control, safety, medical care managment and back-to-work initiatives.