This year's winners of the sixth annual "Awards for Excellence in Workers' Compensation Risk Management" are Limbach Facility Services, a mechanical design and construction contractor; Kelly Services, the staffing-solution provider; and Vestas-American Wind Technology, which manufactures and services wind turbines.

A record number of total entries—and a record number from Fortune 500 companies—made determining this year's group of finalists and ultimate winners a difficult task for the judges. But ultimately, our winners stood out for the tremendous savings their unique approaches to Workers' Comp have generated; the commitment of their senior executives to safety; and the degree to which their programs not only reduce costs—but also contribute to strategic organizational goals.  

The judges awarded scores in 10 separate categories, including innovation, loss control, claims management, return-to-work, technology and relationships with key partners (carriers, brokers and TPAs). National Underwriter's editorial team determined the group of finalists. Our judges then selected the winners from this pool. Our judging panel was comprised of last year's winners: Gary Eastes, risk and benefits manager for the City of Knoxville; Michael P. Murphy, manager, global P&C insurance, Kennametal; and Bruce Jones, director, insurance and Texas Plan Administrator, Community Health Systems (CHS).