KEMI’s bilingual Customer Service team recently traveled to Churchill Downs to provide translation services for a policyholder during a safety audit.
Marisol Rose, senior bilingual customer service representative, and Marie Schardein, bilingual customer service representative, accompanied Eli Roberts, senior safety & loss control representative, to the on-site meeting to support the policyholder while ensuring a smooth flow of communication.
The visit occurred Monday, May 8, two days following the running of the 149th Kentucky Derby.
While there, Rose and Schardein saw Derby contender Cyclone Mischief and the horse Fire on Time.
Translation assistance through the bilingual Customer Service team is included at no cost with KEMI’s comprehensive policyholder services. Call Customer Service at 1-800-640-KEMI (5364) Monday – Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or complete the online contact form anytime to request help with translation.
J.C. Lyons, Frankfort Plant Board safety director, shares how building a strong safety program positively impacts employees and enhances business operations.
What is your primary business? Frankfort Plan Board (FPB) is a municipal utility that provides electric, water, and telecommunications to the citizens of Frankfort, Kentucky, and neighboring communities.
How many workers do you employ? We have approximately 200 full-time employees.
What role does safety play in your organization’s culture? Our objective is to build on our strong safety and health program to keep the number of injuries and illnesses to an absolute minimum. FPB’s goal is to surpass the best safety and health experience of operations that are comparable to ours.
The personal safety and health of each employee is paramount, and we believe maintaining a safe workplace is every employee’s responsibility at all levels.
Safety and health in the utility business must be part of how we operate every day – without exception! All employees have the right to stop work, and no employee is required to work at a job he or she knows is not safe. Employee cooperation in detecting hazards and, as a result, controlling them is a condition of employment.
How has KEMI helped your company enhance workplace safety and reduce claims? The keystone of FBP’s successful safety program is preparation, and we appreciate KEMI’s contributions to our ongoing employee training.
The KEMI Safety & Loss Control unit was on-site in 2022 to guide team members through the rigors of CPR and first aid training, and this year 124 employees have already completed this life-saving course.
KEMI has also conducted a 10-hour OSHA construction training for FPB, and we are currently working with the Safety & Loss Control unit to schedule a forklift training.
KEMI has been a wonderful partner by providing exceptional customer service, free training resources, and high-quality educational events.
What impacts or benefits have you seen resulting from a strong safety program? To the greatest degree possible, management provides all tools, equipment, and training required to ensure everyone is educated and accountable and to keep our safety standards high.
Results from an intentional approach to our safety culture include improved employee morale, lower workers’ compensation premium costs, and a reduction in risk of accidents.
What notable safety milestones or recognition has your company achieved during the past three years? FPB is a 10-time recipient of KEMI’s Destiny Award in recognition of our outstanding safety program. We are also pleased to share that a new achievement for FPB during 2022 was qualifying for American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Safety Awards – Honorable Mention in Group E.
KEMI raced to the rescue for the safe return of LexArts Horse Mania 2022 statues to Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and KORE Academy in Lexington, Kentucky.
Students at each school painted the horse and foal as part of Horse Play 2022, a special program accompanying Horse Mania 2022 that offered all public and private schools in Fayette County the opportunity to participate in this public art initiative.
The horse “Dreams to Share,” created by Dunbar Students and pictured below, and the foal “Uniquely Created,” developed by KORE Academy students, were on display in downtown Lexington through December 2022.
KEMI President & CEO Jon Stewart and KEMI Safety & Loss Control manager Jeff Floyd delivered the statues to the schools on March 1.
Jeff Floyd (left) and Jon Stewart (right) deliver Dreams to Share to Dunbar High School.
Heather Collins, head custodian at Garth Elementary within the Scott County Schools system, saved a life on Friday, Jan. 13, by performing the Heimlich maneuver on a child who was choking. See the full WKYT story here. The lifesaving action by Collins highlights the importance of safety training and readiness.
Scott County Schools, a Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI) policyholder since 2012, maintains a steadfast commitment to workplace safety. That commitment is reflected in an excellent safety record for the school system. “They have always trained more people than is required, and this story bringing recognition to Ms. Collins for her quick action is great news,” said Jeff Floyd, Safety & Loss Control manager for KEMI.
KEMI’s safety team recently conducted a training class for school system employees at the Scott County Board of Education office. “We’re committed to promoting safe workplaces,” continued Floyd, “which is why we provide training and resources to all KEMI policyholders at no additional cost.” KEMI Policyholders are encouraged to contact safety@kemi.com to schedule safety training classes and to access safety resources at worksafeky.com.
A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” of Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance Authority (KEMI) (Lexington, KY).
The Credit Ratings (ratings) reflect KEMI’s balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile, and appropriate enterprise risk management.
“KEMI is pleased to once again earn an “Excellent” rating for our financial strength and stability,” said Jon Stewart, KEMI president & CEO. “Our team is dedicated to meeting the needs of Kentucky businesses and injured workers, and this rating from A.M. Best demonstrates that commitment.”
Media Contact: Ryan Worthen KEMI Communications rworthen@kemi.com 859-425-7800
At a time in which most businesses are struggling to hire and retain employees, keeping available workers healthy and on the job is imperative. Yet, the Bureau of Labor Statistics cited 2.7 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2020, within the private industry alone. Many of these injuries, and the personal and professional difficulties that they caused, could have been prevented.
That’s why Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI), the state’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance, recognizes employers for their commitment to workplace safety annually.
This year, KEMI will present 28 Kentucky organizations with the 2022 KEMI Destiny Award.
The Destiny Awards are presented to policyholders that best exemplify KEMI’s motto, “Control your own destiny.” The awards symbolize what can be accomplished when organizations work together to improve workplace safety.
Policyholders that earn the KEMI Destiny Award effectively demonstrate 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 businesses were selected as winners after meeting a stringent set of criteria set forth by KEMI:
Adair County Board of Education
Asbury University
Asbury Theological Seminary
Barren County Board of Education
Bell County Board of Education
Big Rivers Electric Corporation
Brandenburg Telephone Company
Corbin Independent Schools
Eastern Kentucky University
Edmonson County Board of Education
Elizabethtown Board of Education
Frankfort Plant Board
Glenwood Electric
Hancock County Board of Education
Hibbs Electromechanical
Hilton Kennedy Company Louisville
Hinkle Holding Company
Independence Fire District
Industrial Field Maintenance
KI USA Corporation
Merkle Lawn Care Company
Metcalfe County Board of Education
Northern Kentucky Water District
Ray St Clair Roofing
Storm Security
The Corken Steel Products Company
Union County Board of Education
Warren County Board of Education
“Destiny Award winners are part of an elite group of organizations that have emphasized safety each day and demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of Kentucky’s workforce,” remarked Jon Stewart, president and CEO of KEMI. “Some have received the Destiny Award multiple years, and we appreciate the opportunity to work shoulder-to-shoulder with them and all policyholders to elevate safety programs throughout the commonwealth.”
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.
Media Contact: Ryan Worthen KEMI Communications rworthen@kemi.com 859-425-7800
KEMI extends our sympathy to those who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods resulting from the recent disastrous floods in eastern Kentucky.
KEMI will be suspending cancellations and expirations through September 1, 2022, for policyholders located in the counties directly affected by the flooding.
We are steadfastly committed to supporting policyholders facing financial hardship, in both the short term and throughout the extended recovery process. We will be working closely with agents and policyholders to provide flexible payment terms, revise payroll estimates, or delay premium audits. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can help in any way.
Media Contact: Ryan Worthen KEMI Communications rworthen@kemi.com 859-425-7800
The dividend follows an $8.2 million dividend paid in August 2021
Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI), Kentucky’s leading workers’ compensation insurance provider, is issuing a dividend of $8.3 million to eligible policyholders. The dividend is a result of proactive management of claims by KEMI and its policyholders.
“KEMI is one of the few insurance companies in Kentucky that pays dividends to clients,” said Jon Stewart, president and chief executive officer of KEMI. “Our steadfast commitment to responsible financial management is critical for positioning KEMI to give back to our policyholders.”
More than 14,000 policyholders will receive a 10% dividend payment from KEMI. To qualify, policyholders must:
Have a current active policy with KEMI.
Have had an active policy for all 12 months of 2019.
Have had a loss ratio of less than or equal to 65% for the 2019 policy year.
Dividend checks will be distributed throughout the month of August.
Between 2010 and 2021, KEMI issued six dividend payments to policyholders totaling $61 million. Since 2011, KEMI has also systematically lowered noncoal rates by more than 40% resulting in substantial savings for policyholders. Stewart explained, “As a mutual insurance company, we continuously innovate so that we can identify ways to keep rates competitive.”
Media Contact: Ryan Worthen KEMI Communications rworthen@kemi.com 859-425-7800
Jon Stewart, President & CEO of Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI), has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
WCRI is a national research organization that focuses on improving workers’ compensation systems by providing the public with objective, credible, high-quality research regarding public policy issues related to workers’ compensation. Board members are elected for staggered three-year terms and are responsible for all policymaking activities.
Stewart said that he is “looking forward to serving alongside other industry leaders to help make workers’ compensation systems more efficient and equitable for the benefit of workers and employers.”
Media Contact: Ryan Worthen KEMI Communications rworthen@kemi.com 859-425-7800
In an industry that has historically employed more males than females, KEMI has been a leader in challenging the status quo. Since KEMI’s formation in 1995, the majority of KEMI’s workforce has been women, and the organizational chart reflects this still holds true nearly three decades later.
“Of 214 career positions, 136 are held by women for a total of 64%,” stated Jon Stewart, President & CEO, KEMI. “If you add together all the years of service of women currently employed by KEMI, the sum is an astonishing number of 1,380 years. That represents an invaluable wealth of knowledge.”
KEMI remains committed to ensuring equitable pay practices, professional development, and career opportunities. “I believe our intentional culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion is a major factor that keeps KEMI on the forefront of the workers’ compensation industry in Kentucky,” observed Jon. “As Women’s History Month draws to a close, let’s all celebrate the contributions of our predominantly female workforce and express our appreciation for the vital roles that are key to KEMI’s continued success.”
Media Contact: Ryan Worthen KEMI Communications rworthen@kemi.com 859-425-7800
