Jeffrey Austin White likes to tell the story of a meeting he had with colleagues several years ago. His prediction that drones would become mainstream within five years generated strange looks all around, followed by laughter.

Fast forward less than five years and we now know that any idiot with a credit card can walk into Best Buy, get a drone and "accidentally" crash-land it on the White House lawn. Jeff’s colleagues have laughed at him at other times when he’s made seemingly outlandish predictions about the future. Like when he spoke of the potential of using 3-D printers to make prosthetics for injured workers or of robots changing the workers’ comp system. His colleagues aren’t laughing at him anymore.

In fact, his company, Accident Fund Holdings, Inc., recently named him Director of Innovation. Imagine that – someone paid to be innovative at an insurance company, hardly an industry known for going out on a limb. Holy 21st century Batman!

Our industry is often accused of being reactive, rather than proactive. We’re typically more focused on dealing with what’s right in front of us rather than trying to change things for the better. Preventing injuries is a prime example.

Look at the agendas for the nation’s top workers’ comp conferences and compare the number of sessions dealing with "handling claims" vs. "preventing injuries." As someone who spent years programming a national workers’ comp conference, I found it was like pulling teeth to generate interest in sessions on avoiding claims in the first place, rather than handling them after the fact.

“People aren’t interested in prevention,” was the response. And why not? Basically, because many employers (not all, mind you) don’t want to spend money for which they can’t see a tangible ROI. It’s hard to convince the CFO that spending a little up front could potentially save A LOT later on.

Employers are already spending money handling claims, the thinking went. If they can learn ways to reduce the amount they spend after the injury/illness has occurred, that’s good. But spending money to avoid injuries/illnesses isn’t something they are interested in doing. Hmmm.

So instead of spending a couple hundred bucks on a chair that improves comfort and reduces fatigue, for example, employers will spend thousands to settle a worker’s low back pain claim. (Then, of course, there are the employers that will spend $1,000 for the perfect, ergonomically correct chair, but fail to train their workers on how to use them, sometimes leading to unintended injuries). But the naysayers are probably right. Fact is, sessions at workers’ comp conferences that focus on what to do after an injury/illness occurs typically see much better attendance than those offering preventive strategies.

Fortunately, that attitude may be changing. There are TPAs, insurers – even some large employers – focused on prevention.

Harley Davidson, for example, saw a 68% drop in claims from 2009-2014 and saved $3.5 million through its injury prevention management program that uses an integrated approach focused on both occupational and nonoccupational injuries. Pinnacol Assurance has concrete evidence that its unique wellness program targeting employee health risks can have a significant impact on preventing injuries and illnesses. Pre-loss and behavior-based safety programs in some companies have been shown to prevent injuries, when implemented effectively.

It just makes sense for our industry to focus at least some efforts on averting claims – especially since many preventive efforts cost very little or nothing. We’re not necessarily talking thousands of dollars for a completely redesigned work station, although in some cases that could result in dramatic savings to a company’s workers’ comp program. But often it’s little things: increasing the lighting, especially for those of us in the aging baby-boomer category; ensuring inside walkways are clear of boxes and other debris that cause workers to fall; clearing sidewalks of snow and ice before an employee slides into a claim; and repairing torn carpeting to prevent someone from tripping. All are simple ways that can save employers a bundle.

Some preventive measures are less obvious, but can have a significant impact. Advice on identifying and mitigating hazards can often be had for free. OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, for example have a ton of free resources available on their websites – from preventing certain types of injuries in specific industries, to having consultants go to a worksite, evaluate the risks and recommend options to remove them – free of charge and with no penalties attached.

The problem is that many of us get bogged down doing our jobs and fail to see the big picture. We focus on putting out the fires instead of preventing them. As John Lennon said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” In workers’ comp that can be translated to: injuries are what happens when you’re busy managing claims.

It is time for employers and payers to look ahead. That doesn’t mean taking our eyes off the day-to-day hurdles we face. But we also need to have someone focused on the big picture, to let us know what the future might bring and find better ways to doing things. Designating a "Director of Innovation" is a good place to start.