Author Archives: Lucas Kidwell

The morning fog still hung over the Kentucky River when the call came in for an outage on the east side of Frankfort. For the Electric & Water Plant Board of the City of Frankfort (FPB), moments like this were routine. For FPB’s safety program managers, they were reminders of why preparation matters.

When you provide power, water, and telecommunications, the interruptions don’t wait for ideal conditions. But when interruptions occur, FPB is ready to respond.

FPB is a diversified municipal utility with more than 210 employees. Each line of business brings its own hazards, including high voltage, confined spaces, trenches, and unpredictable weather. Every jobsite changes daily, and urgency is part of the work.

In this industry, tasks can feel routine, but the risks never are. Under constant pressure to keep essential services running, people can get hurt if they stop paying attention. For FPB, safety is a daily discipline for everyone.

Each morning begins with stretch‑and‑flex routines to reduce the risk of overexertion injuries. Trench logs are completed before entry. Confined space permits are required. Electric crews hold daily job briefings focused on that day’s specific hazards.

Weekly safety meetings reflect FPB’s universal safety commitment, as they are jointly led by the safety department, management, and field employees. The conversations are practical, honest, and grounded in real work.

Traditional classroom training is supplemented with hands-on field training on existing jobsites, using real equipment and current conditions, which has led to increased engagement and improved safety inspections.

Additionally, FPB continues to strengthen emergency preparedness by partnering with its equipment provider to manage nearly 50 AEDs across the system, ensuring monthly inspections, and enhance response readiness through KEMI’s CPR/First Aid/AED and forklift training.

The results are clear: since 2017, FPB’s experience modification rate has averaged well below the national average, indicating that injuries are being prevented, workers’ compensation claims remain low, and injury severity has been steadily controlled. With proactive loss control, FPB has earned the annual KEMI Destiny Award for Workplace Safety 12 times.

At the end of the day, FPB measures success one shift at a time—by how many people go home the same way they came in. At FPB, safety is the line that holds everything together, keeping the lights on, the water flowing, and people connected.

Written with AI assistance.

The following KEMI employees recently received appointments to serve on committees for the American Association of State Compensation Insurance Funds (AASCIF). Their terms, beginning in January, will run through 2026.

AASCIF is an association of workers’ compensation insurance companies from 26 different states plus eight workers’ compensation boards in Canada.

KEMI Announces Destiny Award Winners for 2025

Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI) recognizes 27 Kentucky organizations for their commitment to workplace safety by presenting each of them with the 2025 KEMI Destiny Award.

The Destiny Awards are presented annually by KEMI to policyholders best exemplifying KEMI’s motto, “Control your own destiny.” The awards symbolize what can be accomplished when organizations work together to improve workplace safety. Policyholders earning the KEMI Destiny Award effectively demonstrate to KEMI their ability to manage a formal safety program, provide on-site training and regular safety meetings for employees, and display an ongoing commitment to safety from all levels throughout their organizations.

The following policyholders were selected after meeting a stringent set of criteria set forth by KEMI:

Adair County Board of Education
Allison Abrasives Incorporated
Bath County Schools
Breathitt County Schools
Central Seal Company
Clark Material Handling Company
Corbin Independent Schools
Davis & Plomin Mechanical
Eastern Kentucky University
Edmonson County Board of Education
Frankfort Plant Board
Glenwood Electric Inc.
Harrison County Board of Education
Hinkle Holding Company LLC
Houston Johnson Inc
Industrial Field Maintenance
Jackson Propane Plus
Keeneland Association
Mercer County Schools
Mt Washington Fire & EMS
Murray State University
Northern Kentucky Water District
Piccola Manufacturing Company
Purofirst Disaster Service
Rockcastle Board of Education
Russell County Hospital
The Corken Steel Products Company

“Destiny Award winners comprise an elite group of organizations demonstrating ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of Kentucky’s workforce by emphasizing safety every day,” remarked Jon Stewart, President and CEO of KEMI. “We congratulate 20 of these safety-focused organizations on receiving the Destiny Award multiple years, and we applaud the safety programs of our first-time winners that resulted in a safe workforce and Destiny Award recognition.”

KEMI offers the public free safety resources through worksafeky.com, a website anyone can access. It has and array of safety articles, best practices and helpful links.

The dividend follows a $19.1 million dividend paid in 2024

Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI), Kentucky’s leading workers’ compensation insurance provider, is issuing a dividend of $19.3 million to eligible policyholders. The dividend results from the proactive management of claims by KEMI and its policyholders.

Over 12,000 policyholders will receive a 20% dividend payment from KEMI for the 2022 policy year. Dividend checks will be distributed throughout August.

Between 2010 and 2025, KEMI issued dividend payments to policyholders totaling $123 million.

Media Contact:
Ryan Worthen
KEMI Communications
rworthen@kemi.com
859-425-7800

Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI) announces the induction of Robert (Bob) L. Swisher into the Class of 2025 Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Hall of Fame.

Bob Swisher, one of five inductees, was recognized in April during the Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Hall of Fame Banquet, which honored those who have made significant contributions to the Kentucky workers’ compensation system throughout their distinguished careers.

Swisher began his law career in 1979 after graduating from the University of Kentucky College of Law.  With over 10 years in general practice, he joined Geralds, Moloney and Jones concentrating on civil litigation, workers’ compensation, and probate law before joining the workers’ compensation defense firm Jones, Dietz and Swisher in 2007.

On January 1, 2010, Swisher was appointed as an administrative law judge (ALJ) in the Kentucky Department of Workers’ Claims (DWC) by Governor Steve Beshear. In 2013, he was one of two ALJs selected to participate in the DWC’s new medical dispute resolution program, and in 2014, he was named chief administrative law judge.

Swisher was appointed commissioner of the Kentucky DWC by Governor Matt Bevin in 2017. During his tenure as commissioner, Swisher led the agency through full implementation of the Litigation Management System, the online filing and case management system created by former Commissioner Dwight T. Lovan. Responding to legislative mandates in House Bill 2 (2018), Swisher promulgated numerous regulations, including the adoption of workers’ compensation medical treatment guidelines and a pharmacy formulary, creation of the process by which injured workers may apply for a continuation of medical benefits past 780 weeks, and the creation of an online portal through which coal miners awarded retraining incentive benefits locate and select an institution to provide their retraining.

In 2021, Swisher joined KEMI as director of Claims-Legal. In this capacity, he oversees KEMI’s in-house legal manager, the Special Investigations Unit, the Medical Bill audit unit, and KEMI’s Claims business analyst.

Swisher is a member of the Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators (Adjudication Committee), was selected as a Fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers (2018) and was a finalist for the 2019 Comp Laude Award as a national industry leader.

“This recognition of Bob’s contributions to the workers’ compensation industry is well-deserved,” stated KEMI President & CEO Jon Stewart. “Employers and workers throughout the commonwealth continue to benefit from Bob’s vast knowledge of workers’ comp and unwavering integrity that guides each decision.” Stewart continued, “But beyond his career accomplishments, Bob is a man of character and one of the finest individuals you could ever meet.”