Building a corporate or division safety program is perhaps more important than the post-loss aspects, because stopping injuries is obviously better than controlling them once they occur. So, while there is a cost to development of a top-notch safety program, the cost-benefit far outweighs the out of pocket cost.

1. Keeping Safety Records Key to Success

All elements of your safety program should be documented, reviewed annually, and updated, if appropriate. Safety program documentation and injury and illness recordkeeping are the ways in which you not only improve your program but also help you manage workers’ compensation cases as they occur.  Check OSHA, as well as state OSHA organizations, for the latest recordkeeping regulations.

2. Encouraging Accountability and Discipline When Necessary

Decide how  you will enforce the safety program at both the management and employee level, especially how employee discipline, up to and including termination, for safety violations will be handled, and whether managers’ compensation and/or bonuses will be partially tied to safety results, etc. Seek the guidance of your Human Resources department on this subject.

3. Key performance indicators measure success

Consider predictive  indicators of potential accidents like number of near misses and number of safety work orders as possible measurements, as opposed to number of accidents (a lagging indicator – the damage is already done). (workersxzcompxzkit)

4. Select a Safety Committee, Chairman and Secretary

Include people  from production, senior management, risk management, production management, maintenance, human resources, etc. The safety committee should be of sufficient size to provide for adequate representation of the workforce. Define and document the committee’s mission, goals and responsibilities of the members.

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs, including airlines, health care, manufacturing, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. He can be contacted at: Robert_Elliott@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.

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Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker about workers’ comp issues.

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