Book Reviews
Most people would agree that the workers’ compensation
process, by its design, is complicated, incomprehensible and dry. But
attorney/author John W. Valente has creatively and effectively mapped
the statutory minefield into a navigable, user-friendly guide that is
accessible to any business owner.
For that very reason, every business person and human resources director
should have a copy of John W. Valente’s “Understanding Workers’
Compensation: Managing Workplace Injuries and Lowering Costs” (Trafford,
2006, $29.95) at their fingertips.
In just over 100 pages, Valente, one of Vermont’s top workers’
compensation defense lawyers, uses anecdotes, humor and easy-to-understand
examples to demonstrate why a business needs to think about workers’
compensation laws, while providing common-sense tools and procedures necessary
to make the workplace as safe as it can be.
“Understanding Workers’ Compensation” is a prudent crash
course in what workers’ compensation is and why it’s necessary
in the business world.
This easy-to-use book provides a primer on workers’ compensation’s
statutory history and explains, in startling clarity despite its potentially
dense subject matter, how injuries can drive what an employer pays for
insurance coverage.
And while Valente explains the workers’ compensation process and
the myriad liabilities along the way, he uses “layman’s language”
to decode a mountain of information and debunk the myth that workers’
compensation only is understandable to a few.
In different examples, Valente describes how uncontrolled workers’
compensation claims all have a negative effect on a business’s insurance
premiums, morale, productivity and, ultimately, profits.
Yet, by walking the business owner through the potential pitfalls, Valente
is able to make the “unfamiliar, sometimes scary and occasionally
contentious” process less stressful for an injured worker and the
employer.
What gives this book added value is Valente’s comprehensive effort
to break down what businesses need to do to prevent workplace injuries.
It is information that will ultimately lead to cost-savings, he writes.
“Understanding the latest return-to-work strategies is important.
Get the knowledge. Manage your claims. Don’t let your claims manage
you.”
-- Steven Pappas, Rutland, Vermont
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