New arrangements for a national licensing system for high-risk work takes effect in South Australia from September 1, 2010 Paul Holloway, Ministerfor Industrial Relations, said.
“The new arrangements are aimed at making safer those workplaces where high-risk work is performed,” Holloway said.
“These changes will also make the training, assessment and licensing of high-risk work consistent across Australia.
“The new national licensing system builds upon existing requirements for people who operate items such as a forklift, crane, hoist, elevating work platform or pressure equipment as well as those people who perform scaffolding, dogging or rigging work.” (WCxKit)
According to Holloway, the national licensing regime requires operators to renew their licenses after a five-year period.
“Valid existing Certificates of Competency will continue to be recognized and people will have plenty of time to transfer their current Certificates to the new type of license,” Holloway noted. “Depending on the issue date of the person’s existing Certificate of Competency or ‘ticket’ a person may have up to five years to transfer across to the new system.”
Changes under the new licensing system include:
1. A new type of license for those who perform high-risk work – a small plastic card with photo identification, similar to a driver’s license that will be consistent and valid across Australia.
2. The High Risk Work License, unlike the present Certificate of Competency or old style “ticket,” will require renewal every five years.
3. All holders of existing certificates for the classes of high-risk work covered by the regulations will be required to progressively transfer their qualifications over to a new national license. People who hold a valid qualification will not need to be re-tested. (WCxKit)
4. The operation of forklifts and order-picking forklifts will be defined as high-risk work – existing “ticket” holders will need to apply to SafeWork SA to convert their existing ticket to a new national license.
5. A new class of high-risk work will be defined – the operation of a Self-erecting Tower Crane.
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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, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@WorkersCompKit.com
We don't hear about EAP's much anymore in the work comp industry, so I thought you would like to read about new Employer Assistance Program offered by Washington State’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) helps employers avoid becoming delinquent on their workers compensation accounts.
The program and new tools to fight fraud were announced at a recent press conference held by Gov. Chris Gregoire and L&I Director Judy Schurke at the L&I Seattle office. More than 4,800 Washington state businesses have been assisted by the new program.
“Like families across Washington, businesses have seen incomes drop but still have bills to pay,” Gregoire said. “When it comes to workers compensation, businesses face another challenge: they are undercut by an underground economy in which some businesses operate without legally required protections for their workers, and try to succeed on the backs of honest businesses that follow the law.” (WCxKit)
To help businesses during this difficult economic period, L&I launched the Employer Assistance Program last year, allowing struggling businesses to extend payment of their workers comp premiums to manage their cash flow more effectively if they find themselves in trouble.
The program was created after L&I discovered more than half of the 13,000 employers delinquent with their workers comp accounts had previously held stellar records making their payments. Initially scheduled to last nine months, L&I announced they will continue the Employer Assistance Program due to the slow pace of the economic recovery.
“I want to tell employers if you have a good payment history with L&I but you’re having trouble paying your workers comp premiums now, we want you to contact us and let us help you,” Schurke said. “We can set up a payment plan and, in many cases, waive late penalties and interest.”
The press conference was also an opportunity to unveil new fraud-fighting tools, looking for employers who don't pay their premiums, medical providers who overbill and injured workers who file fraudulent claims. Cheating the system is not a victimless crime, but one hurting workers, employers and taxpayers by driving up premium costs for everyone.
The new programs include Detecting Unregistered Employers, or DUE, scheduled to begin in Fall 2010. The program uses software to flag businesses who fail to register with the state and pay into the workers comp system. (WCxKit)
"Our return on investment for fraud prevention has been eight to one – for every one dollar we spend we bring back eight dollars to the Workers Compensation Trust Fund,” Schurke said. “Our goal is to make sure Washington is the least fraud-friendly state in the nation.”
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, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@WorkersCompKit.com
The cost of working while ill, known as pre-senteeism or sickness presence, could account for 1.5 times more lost time than the cost of illness-related absence, according to a British study investigating the links between pre-senteeism and performance.
A study published by The Work Foundation discovered found employers might be underestimating employee ill health and missing warning signs by focusing on absence only.
The research reports 45 percent of employees noted one or more days working while unwell during a 4-week period. But only 18 percent reported one or more days of absence over the same time. The findings suggest those who took sick time were also more likely to work when ill.
According to lead author Katherine Ashby, “In the current economic climate, with high job insecurity making employees more wary of taking time off, understanding the causes and effects of sickness presence is critical.” (WCxKit)
Ashby added that measuring pre-senteeism may provide a more reliable picture of an organization’s health-related productivity losses.
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\Author Rebecca Shafer, Attorney/Consultant, President, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
FREE WC IQ Test: http://www.workerscompkit.com/intro/
WC Books: http://www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/workers-comp-books-manuals.php
WC Calculator: http://www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/calculator.php
TD Calculator: http://www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/transitional-duty-cost-calculator.php
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers' comp issues.
©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@WorkersCompKit.com
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that Everdry Marketing and Management has paid $471,096 in damages, plus $86,581 in post-judgment interest, to 13 victims of sexual harassment.
The payout satisfies a judgment obtained by EEOC against Everdry in October 2006 following a four-week trial in Rochester, N.Y. (case # 01-CV-6329). The individual payouts range from about $24,000 to $56,000, including the interest, covering the time the women, had to wait to receive their jury awards.
Everdry was required to pay the substantial interest after the ultimate resolution of the case was delayed by an appeal the company filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit challenging various aspects of the jury’s verdict and other district court rulings. The Court of Appeals affirmed the jury’s verdict and award of damages.
Cleveland-based Everdry provides basement waterproofing services through various franchises. The case concerned a prolonged period of physical and verbal sexual harassment of mostly teenage telemarketers by male managers and co-workers at Everdry’s Rochester, N.Y., location.
The EEOC charged the harassment included repeated demands for sex, frequent groping, sexual jokes, and constant comments about the bodies of women employees. On one occasion, a male manager requested sex from a teenager with the promise of a raise if she consented.
“Many of the victims in this case were young and especially vulnerable,” said EEOC Chair Jacqueline Berrien. “We are gratified that the appeals court has now paved the way for these harassment victims to finally receive the relief the jury awarded.”
The jury awards consist of compensatory damages for pain and suffering and punitive damages designed to punish and deter Everdry from engaging in further sexual harassment. The payout was made by Everdry’s corporate headquarters.
“The 13 women in this case endured vicious sexual harassment and then relived it again through their testimony in pre-trial depositions and the trial,” said EEOC Supervisory Trial Attorney Robert Rose. “The EEOC appreciates their courage and endurance in seeing this case all the way through. For them, justice was delayed, but ultimately not denied.”
\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, healthcare, manufacturing, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: Robert_Elliott@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
WC Calculator: http://www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/calculator.php
TD Calculator: http://www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/transitional-duty-cost-calculator.php
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers' comp issues.
©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@WorkersCompKit.com
Belk Inc., a department store chain, unlawfully discriminated against an employee by failing to accommodate her religious beliefs and discharging her because of her religion, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (EEOC v. Belk, Inc., Civil Action No. 5:10-CV-00300).
The department store is a privately owned mainline company, with more than 300 fashion department stores in 16 contiguous Southern states.
According to the EEOC’s suit, during the Christmas season, Belk required their employee, who worked in the gift-wrap section of Belk’s Crabtree Valley Mall store in Raleigh, to wear a Santa hat and apron. (WCxKit)
As a Jehovah’s Witness, the woman is prohibited from celebrating holidays, including Christmas. Because of her religious beliefs, the employee refused to wear the Santa hat and apron, traditionally associated with Christmas, to be worn by gift-wrap associates during the Christmas holiday season. After informing her supervisors she could not wear the Santa hat and apron because of her religion, Belk discharged her.
Religious discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In its complaint, the EEOC seeks back pay, reinstatement, compensatory damages and punitive damages for the worker, as well as injunctive relief. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. (WCxKit)
“In this case, the employer refused to provide a simple accommodation to enable this woman to practice her sincerely held religious belief and keep her job,” said Lynette Barnes, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Charlotte District, which includes the EEOC’s Raleigh Area Office, where the charge was filed. “An employee should not be forced to choose between her faith and her job. This case demonstrates the EEOC’s commitment to fighting religious discrimination in the workplace.”
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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, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@WorkersCompKit.com
If someone said a person was being sexually harassed at work most people would assume it was a man harassing a woman. And, while it may be true for a majority of alleged sexual harassment cases, sometimes women harass men.
A non-profit corporation, Management of a Mobile County, Ala., unlawfully retaliated against a male employee because he complained about being sexually harassed by a female supervisor, according to a lawsuit filed by the EEOC, filed after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. (WCxKit)
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit (Case No. CV-10-403) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, Mobile Community Action Inc., fired the man when he resisted sexually harassing behavior by a female supervisor. The male worker was fired after he reported the sexual harassment and requested a transfer in a letter to Executive Director of the corporation.
The EEOC seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages as well as other relief, including a permanent injunction to prevent Mobile Community Action from retaliating against any employee for reporting harassment or discrimination.
“Unfortunately, we see allegations of retaliation far too often,” said EEOC Birmingham District Director Delner Franklin-Thomas. “We will continue our efforts to let employers know that retaliation for complaining about discrimination violates the law.” (WCxKit)
“The Commission supports employees being able to complain about conduct believed to be discriminatory without fear of reprisal. Retaliation is illegal,” C. Emanuel Smith, Regional Attorney for the EEOC’s Birmingham District Office, said.
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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, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@WorkersCompKit.com
The Monterey County (California) District Attorney's Workers Compensation Fraud Unit has reported the convictions of seven people in six cases.
A female owner admitted she failed to pay payroll taxes and secure workers comp insurance for her business, Your Hometown Sewing Center in Marina.(WCxKit)
Judge Robert Burlison sentenced her to three years’ probation and ordered her to pay a $5,000 fine. She must pay $5,233 in restitution to the state Employment Development Department and has paid $2,744 in back taxes.
Six other individuals pled guilty or no contest to charges of failing to secure workers comp.
Employers are required to register their businesses and to report and pay taxes to Employment Development Department for all employees.(WCxKit)
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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, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@WorkersCompKit.com
Farmers are urged to avail themselves of a free online risk assessment system designed to enhance farm safety and reduce risk in a joint appeal by the Health & Safety Authority, the Irish Farmers Association and FBD Insurance.
The online tool has reportedly proven very popular with farmers and has attracted hundreds of hits since its pilot program in March. The system allows farmers to complete their farm safety statements in a user-friendly fashion, and is the first of its kind for the
agricultural sector in the world.
The new system also allows farmers to keep their risk assessment statements up to date to ensure farm families carry out their work in the safest possible way. Martin O’Halloran, chief executive of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) said, “Improving safety and health in agriculture continues to represent one of our biggest challenges. By working together we can greatly raise safety standards and reduce farm accidents. (WCxKit)
“We believe this free online risk assessment tool will assist farmers in making their farms safer places to work and live for themselves, their children and their families. It has been developed with support from FBD, and with the knowledge that Irish farmers are recognized as European leaders when it comes to adopting new technologies. We are delighted that the IFA are supporting us in re-launching this on-line tool.”
IFA President John Bryan said the promotion of the online system was timely as activity on farms significantly increases during the summer and children are on their school holidays. “Farmers have embraced technology in many facets of their work and I have no doubt this online tool will continue to be a success. Farms are unique workplaces with a combination of livestock, machinery and family members young and old. My advice to farmers is to prioritize health and safety as it is one of the most important aspects of their work. (WCxKit)
“I would encourage farmers to undertake their own farm risk assessment and produce a farm safety statement as it is time well spent and will help avoid the anguish that follows a farm accident,” he concluded.
\ 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, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@WorkersCompKit.com
Protecting the Bottom Line and Increasing Productivity
Integrated Disability Management (IDM) is a coordinated, consistent approach to an employer's disability benefits programs, including short-term disability (STD), long-term disability (LTD), workers' compensation, and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). In an Integrated Disability Management (IDM) program, employee absence due to illness or injury, whether work-related or not, is handled using the same claim reporting, claim management, medical case management and return-to-work protocols. Although many companys have thought of trying an IDM program, not as many have actually implemented such programs.
A fair number, I'd say up to 20%, run some sort of parallel program where they have either a single point of contact or a single claims administrator paying and coordinating short and long term disability. Salary continuation is often paid instead of lost wages, then at 12 -16 weeks (depending on the plan) short term disability takes over. There are many type of programs, each slightly different depending on the companies philosphy. For example, will there be wage replacement instead of workers compensation or not? Do they offer short and/or long term disability benefits or not? Etc.
The objective is to get the employee back to work as quickly and as effectively as possible, maximizing productivity, and mitigating costs. Three key areas must all work together to achieve success.
1. Potential benefits of integrated disability management
2. The key components of a successful program
3. The steps involved in an efficient implementation.
The Potential Benefits of an IDM Program
An effective IDM Program benefits an organization in several ways, including:
Reduced overall disability claim costs. But what is this figures comprised of?
The total cost of employee disability can be broken down into the following categories:
1. Direct Costs, such as wage replacement, medical expenses, benefits expenses and litigation costs.
2. Indirect (Hidden) Costs, including temporary employee replacements, overtime, lost productivity and reduced employee morale.
3. Administrative expenses to manage multiple programs, either internally, or through vendors.
4. Increased productivity resulting from shorter disability durations and quicker return to work. Studies show that the longer an employee is off work, the less likely he is to return.
5. Enhanced, consistent claim management processes for both occupational and non-occupational injuries and illnesses.
6 Integrated data collection, sharing and reporting across benefit lines and policy years.
7. Reduced chance to submit multiple claims and "double dip" due to single source claim reporting and management. (WCxKit)
8. Increased employee satisfaction from simplified claims services
9. Medical management of all disability lines. It's only one body, one person, so a medical director could potentially have great impact since the employee is using all benefits available. Thus medical managment could have a huge impact to help reduce these costs.
10. Modified duty and transitional work assignments with internal accounting. While having modified duty has a cost, NOT having one has an even higher cost - 100% loss of one employee's productivity plus replacement wages for another employee, plus workers comp, STD or LTD.
\Author Rebecca Shafer, President, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
FREE WC IQ Test: http://www.workerscompkit.com/intro/
Return to Work Calculator: http://www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/transitional-duty-cost-calculator.php
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers' comp issues.
©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@WorkersCompKit.com
Virginia regulators plan to hold a hearing on proposed adjustments in premiums charged for workers compensation insurance in October.
According to The Associated Press, the State Corporation Commission stated it has set an Oct. 26 hearing in Richmond on request from the National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. (WCxKit)
The Florida-based ratemaking group represents insurers licensed to write workers comp insurance in Virginia. Nearly all Virginia employers are required to carry the coverage.
Changes in the overall premium level for the industrial, federal, surface coalmine and underground coalmine classifications will be under review by the group. (WCxKit)
If approved, the adjustments (effective April 1, 2011) would apply for both the voluntary market and assigned risk plan.
\ 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, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@WorkersCompKit.com
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