Workers and employers in Oregon’s construction industry held Jan. 25, 2011 that is designed to highlight safety with hands-on training.
The Department of Consumer and Business Services, Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) is one of several partners presenting the Mid-Oregon Construction Safety Summit at the Riverhouse Resort and Conference Center in Bend. (WCxKit)
SAIF Corporation President and CEO Brenda JP Rocklin will open the conference. SAIF, Oregon’s state-chartered workers compensation insurance provider, has been a conference supporter since its inception.
Rocklin is expected to emphasize the importance of safety as a key workplace value and the significance to the Oregon economy of safe workplaces.
The conference, designed for residential and commercial construction workers, is themed “Safety – Take it to the next level.” Continuing education credits are pre-approved for the Construction Contractors Board, Building Codes Division (for plumbers and electricians), and Landscape Contractors Board. Conference attendees can also choose from 13 different classes, such as fall protection and managing risk. (WCxKit)
Some of the other topics include:
1. • Advanced electrical safety
2. • Work zone safety – flagging course
3. • Remodeling and lead safety
4. • Oregon excavation law
5. • Safety committees/safety meetings
The registration fee is $50 or $60 after Jan. 20, 2011. For the flagging certification, there is a $15 fee.
For more information or to register, go to www.orosha.org/conferences.
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.
An Interview with Rebecca Shafer about how to resolve problems with TPAs and Insurance Companies
Rebecca Shafer is a leading industry expert on workers compensation issues and President of Amaxx Risk Solutions. She developed workers compensation cost containment programs for Marsh and Aon to help their clients implement cost reduction strategies. Her clients typically decrease their costs between 20-50% in incurred losses.
Q. Describe a real example of a dispute between an employer and its TPA/insurer involving a claim or group of claims. Was it resolved and how?
Situation: A large theme park located in Florida thought the insurer was:
a) overcharging for nurse case management,
b) using nurse case management when it wasn’t necessary, (WCxKit)
c) using nurse case management service as a profit center at the expense of the insured, and
d) having nurses do “adjuster level” work.
The dissatisfaction had grown to such proportions the theme park was threatening to move the business.
Resolution: A team of 7 including an MD and 6 senior claims experts reviewed all open files and some closed files in the Florida office. The team reviewed special handling instructions, the carrier’s best practices, the carrier’s Litigation Guidelines to establish performance expectations.
The team scored the files: 87% of claims the files were handled according to account specifications, carrier best practices and industry best practices. The MD determined that nurse case management was used effectively and benefited the claim outcome in most cases. Also, 95% of employees were receiving excellent quality medical care.
One problem was many employees were going to non-network providers thus adding to the cost of medical care. Employees had to wait 4 hours at the in-network clinic several miles farther away, so they went to a non-network clinic only one block away where they were treated immediately.
We set up van service to the farther network clinic and corrected the 4-hour wait problem. We also added the closer clinic to the network and established a relationship with that clinic.
Two-hour training sessions were held for all supervisors and managers explaining what to do when an employee is injured, how to get to providers, quality of care standards, etc. We set up the system so the account receive monthly “penetration reports” to monitor improvement.
A quick benchmark report showed the Cost Per Employee (FTE) was one-half the national average. This indicated, statistically, the carrier was performing quite well and the costs were not being negatively impacted, although improvements were made. THIS should have been done before the problem was out of hand, and the broker incurred a huge fee to correct the problem. Had it been done months earlier, they would have known that the company was HALF the industry average — so really, how bad could "the problem" really have been?
I met with the Claims Manager at the initial stages of the project to get her perspective of why the client was so upset, and she told me she had never spoken with the client. I then spoke with the client and asked her what she had told the Claims Manager about the problem. She said she had never spoken with the Claim Manager. I asked the Client why, given that she was so upset with the claim handling, she had never spoken with the Claim Manager and she said “Well, she should call me; I shouldn’t have to call her.”
Although the real problem was lack of communication, nurse case management was perceived as a problem and festered for months getting greatly exaggerated. At the end of the process, we had all adjusters and the Claim Manager visit the theme park to view operations and transitional duty options. We also had the insured visit the claims operation and medical cost containment facility to understand better the process from the inside.
Result: Losses down 43%. Carrier kept account.
Q. Could the disputes noted have been avoided? If so, how?
Yes, these disputes are almost always avoidable. Many are due to lack of communication.
If the broker had benchmarked the employer losses, they would have known that the Cost per Claim and Cost per FTE (full-time employee) for this employer was half the national average in case #1. In Case #2, the costs were twice the national. This puts the situation in perspective – is there really a problem or is it being blown out of proportion from frustration.
Hold monthly roundtable meetings (conference calls) to insure open communication and discussion of “issues” in a constructive way. Initially, I start with weekly calls. Regular calls at a pre-established time let the client know there is a place to discuss issues.
Q. Please summarize.
Often, complaints are not related to a specific claim such as “the reserve on this claim is too high,” but are vague, such as “the claims are poorly handled.” The insured has a feeling things aren’t right, and they are often correct, but they can’t put pinpoint exactly what is wrong until something big happens like a claim is settled that they know is bogus. (WCxKit)
Often their “gut” feeling is accurate, but they feel silly or trivial speaking to their broker until they have a very clear example, so they wait until things get worse. This is where those operational benchmarks are helpful: it helps employers learn what other companies are doing operationally to control costs. It educates them to “possibilities.”
Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
©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.
In speaking with Danielle Lisenbey, Chief Operating Officer of Broadspire's Medical Management Services, I learned how important a good pharmacy benefit management program is and what to look for when shopping for a PBM (pharmacy benefit management) program. Lisenby also updated on how the cost of pharmcacy costs has increased.
The 2010 Annual Drug Trends Report for Workers Compensation indicates pharmacy costs in 2009, rose 6.5% with workers taking an average of 11.1 prescriptions per injury.
Employers may want to implement a clinically driven model to reduce pharmacy costs – one targeting these areas: (WCxKit)
1. Delivering appropriate medications to your injured workers.
2. Managing escalating prescription costs.
3. Reducing opioid misuse or abuse.
4. Helping return employees to productivity.
A pharmacy benefit management program uses evidence-based medicine designed to help employers gain more control over costs associated with workers compensation claims. These key points need to be in your program:
1. Utilization management experts assess medications for appropriate use in work related injuries.
2. Examine pharmaceutical data to discover possible misuse or abuse.
3. A clinical review team of nurses and doctors help control prescription costs by working to eliminate:
a. Inappropriate fills.
b. Duplicate prescriptions from multiple providers.
c. Prescription overuse beyond claim guidelines.
d. Multiple prescriptions that counteract or adversely affect one another.
Think in broad terms by giving employees access to multiple pharmacies in a reputable pharmacy management network and mail order service. Look for providers that link to pharmacies in real-time and immediately approve medications at the counter to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for your injured employees. The technology is efficient, with rejected scripts saving employers over 48% of costs in 2009. Look for a provider wtih 24/7 service and toll free access to a pharmacy customer care line. Patient care advocates, bill processors and registered pharmacists should be available to answer any questions that arise. The center also must track orders, prescriptions and other pharmacy program information for every claim. (WCxKit)
A pharmacy program integrates fully with claim, medical bill review and utilization management departments. This close connection helps promote early enrollment for injured workers and allows employers to take greater advantage of the cost saving potentials.
Contributor: Broadspire provided content about their workers compensation medical management services.
For more information, contact Broadspire at 1-866-625-1662 or emailing Broadspire_Info@choosebroadspire.com; www.choosebroadspire.
©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.
A 2010 Singapore labor force survey reports that the employment rate for older workers aged 55 to 64 years old has gone up to 59 percent.
According to ChannelNewsAsia.com, this was after the rate held steady at 57.2 percent over the last two years in an economic downturn. (WCxKit)
According to Minister Lim Boon Heng, the results show that employers recognized the contributions of older employees and are hiring and retaining them.
He added that companies which hire these mature and old workers have three top concerns, mostly the rising health and insurance costs, the physical abilities of older workers and the ability of these workers to adapt to change.
"There is a lot of hard work that needs to be done to make it happen and that is why we opted for re-employment legislation than just legislating the retirement age," Lim. Stated.
Ninety-one percent of unionized companies – or approximately 1,047 firms – have committed to re-employment.
Two organizations which have been hiring older workers, The National University Hospital and PUB, received the International Innovative Employer Award this year.
NUH will reportedly be implementing more worker friendly changes in 2011.
At PUB, 40 percent of the staff is mature workers and they receive pre-retirement counseling one year before reaching their retirement age. (WCxKit)
NUH and PUB were named by AARP, a US-based non-profit organization which represents close to 40 million people aged 50 and above, and the Singapore Council for Third Age as being among 15 of the world's best employers in adopting innovative human resource practices to engage older workers.
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.
Among the most difficult workers compensation claims for the adjuster to resolve are the situations where the injured employee has the simultaneous presence of the work related injury and another medical condition. In science, morbidity refers to a diseased state, disability or poor health due to any reason. Comorbidity refers to having two unrelated medical issues at the same time which impact the individuals recovery from either condition. The workers compensation adjuster will often cringe when they learn that the injured employee is also suffering from other health issues, as the adjuster knows the claim will most likely turn into a long, drawn-out affair.
While any health issue can create a comorbidity problem, the more common employee health issues the work comp adjuster will have to deal with include:
1. diabetes
3. drug addiction
4. tobacco addiction
5. alcohol addiction
6. depression
7. hypertension
8. mental health issues
9. heart problems
10. immune system issues
Any of these personal health issues can create a complicating condition that interferes with the employees recovery from the on-the-job injury. The comorbid condition will either delay the employees medical recovery, or complicating the employees ability to return to work, either on modified duty or full duty. (WCxKit)
The cost of the medical treatment and the cost of disability benefits of the workers comp injury are normally far higher when there is a comorbidity issue. For instance, a study by Duke University Medical Center showed that obese employees filed twice as many work comp claims, their medical expenses were nearly 7 times higher than non-obese employees and the obese employees were off work 13 times as long as the non-obese employee who incurred the same type and degree of injury.
Other research has shown a strong correlation between the existence of a comorbid condition and higher claim cost.
Some of the research results include:
1. People who smoke are six times more likely to have complications with a wound healing.
2. Depression, where it existed prior to the injury, or was developed because of the injury, often delays the employees return to work.
3. Hypertension, while a prevalent complicating condition, that increases the claim cost, the increase in claim cost is lower than most other comorbid conditions.
4. No comorbid condition lowers the overall workers compensation cost in either medical expenses or indemnity benefits.
5. Employee's who smoke or have an addiction to alcohol frequently become addicted to narcotics if narcotics are prescribed for pain.
6. Pity the work comp adjuster who has a severe injury claim for a morbid obese, depressed, alcoholic with diabetes who got hurt on the job. The likelihood of every getting the employee back to work is nil, statistically speaking.
What the Employer Can Do:
Implement a Wellness Program
While it may be tempting to say “thats the adjusters problem”, the employer can have a positive and direct impact on the cost of workers compensation claims by addressing the health issues of the employee before an accident occurs. Many of the conditions that create a comorbidity problem are potentially preventable, and if not preventable, treatable before the injury occurs. There are several steps an employer can take to create a holistic approach and reduce the increased cost of comorbid claims.
These steps include implementing components of well-ness programs including:
1. A weight reduction program offered through your human resources office.
2. A healthy work culture that prevents smoking at the work site and offers smoke cessation program.
3. A healthy work culture that offers water and healthy snacks in the snack machines, rather than sodas and candy.
4. An encouragement of physical activity at the workplace including taking the stairs and parking at the end of the parking lot to walk to the factory or office building.
5. Health insurance premium discounts for individuals who do not smoke and maintain a healthy weight
Use Nurse Case Management
When an employee who has a preexisting medical condition is injured on the job, early intervention in the medical care by a nurse case manager can impact favorably the future outcome of the work comp claim. The nurse case manager can work with the adjuster, treating physician and employee to coordinate the medical care and manage the underlying pathology creating the comorbid condition. (WCxKit)
With an aging workforce brought on by the baby boomer generation reaching their 50s and 60s, the number of work comp claims complicated by hypertension, obesity, diabetes and other comorbid conditions will continue to increase. By the employer being aware of how the health issues of the employees impact their cost of workers' compensation, the employer can steps to improve the overall health of the employees, lowering both the cost of workers compensation and health insurance.
Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing.
Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
©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.
A worker in a Great Britain factory, manufacturing lids for food containers, had four fingers severed in a lid-punching machine that had been modified by her employers.
Chadwicks of Bury Ltd, which produces lids for yogurt pots, ice cream cartons and other food containers, was prosecuted by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the incident at the company's Villiers Street factory in May of 2008. (WCxKit)
The 51-year-old worker, who has asked not to be named, was rethreading silver paper through the machine when the cutting tool restarted, severing four fingers on her right hand.
The HSE investigation found the company had covered the sensors on the machine so it could be used to cut paper instead of foil lids. The sensors would have stopped the machine operating when paper was being rethreaded through the cutting tool, if they had not been disabled.
Chadwicks of Bury pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 by failing to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. The company was fined $35,134.87 with $13,597.54 costs at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court.
Nanette Cox, the investigating inspector at HSE, noted, "This lady suffered life-long injuries in a completely avoidable incident. She has been unable to return to work, and finds it difficult to carry out everyday activities.
"Chadwicks of Bury disabled the sensors on the machine and failed to install an alternative guard to stop employees accessing the dangerous cutting tool inside the machine while it was operating.
"We would remind all companies to ensure machines are properly guarded. This employee has to live with the consequences of these management failings, but lessons must be learnt by other employers." (WCxKit)
Last year, 35 workers lost their lives and nearly 26,000 suffered serious injuries in the manufacturing industry in Great Britain.
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.
OSHA is proposing to issue an interpretation of the term "feasible administrative or engineering controls" as used in the general industry and construction occupational noise exposure standards and to amend its current enforcement policy to reflect the interpretation. (WCxKit)
For the purpose of enforcing compliance with these standards, the proposal states that "feasible" has its ordinary meaning of capable of being done.
OSHA's noise standards specify that feasible administrative or engineering controls must be used to reduce noise to acceptable levels and that personal protective equipment, such as ear plugs and ear muffs, must be used only as supplements when administrative or engineering controls are not completely effective. The preference for engineering and administrative controls over personal protective equipment is consistent with the approach taken in all of OSHA's health standards and reflects the fact that such controls are generally more effective.
Under the agency's current enforcement policy, however, the agency issues citations for failure to use engineering and administrative controls only when they cost less than a hearing conservation program or such equipment is ineffective.
OSHA proposes to interpret the term "feasible" in conformity with its ordinary meaning and with the safety and health purposes of the OSH Act. The Supreme Court has held that the term "feasible" as used in the standard-setting provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act means capable of being done.
The proposal aligns the interpretation of the noise standard with the Court's holding and with OSHA's other standards that require feasible engineering controls. The Agency intends to change its noise enforcement policy to authorize issuing citations requiring the use of administrative and engineering controls when feasible as indicated in the interpretation described in the FR notice. (WCxKit)
Every year, approximately 30 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise that is often ignored because the harmful effects of overexposure are typically not visible and develop over an extended period of time. Workers exposed to high noise levels can develop elevated blood pressure, ringing in the ears or permanent hearing loss.
Comments on the interpretation must be submitted on or before Dec. 20, 2010.
Submit comments at http://www.regulations.gov. Individuals who mail or deliver comments must submit three copies to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2010-0032, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C.20210. Submissions not longer than 10 pages may be faxed to 202-693-1648.
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 first results of the fifth European Working Conditions Survey was presented recently by the director and researchers from the Dublin-based European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound). This was part of the conferences organized in Brussels by the Belgian Presidency of the European Union.
The data for this fifth survey were collected between January and June 2010, and 43,816 workers active in 34 European countries were surveyed. The sample was substantially higher than in the fourth survey, because in 2005, no more than 30,000 workers across 31 countries were questioned. (WCxKit)
The initial data available allow some introductory, non-exhaustive observations to be made in terms of health and safety at work.
Currently, 84% of EU-27 workers report that they are satisfied or even very satisfied with their working conditions – an increase of 2% over 2000 and 2005. However, one quarter of European workers still feel that work is having an adverse effect on their health.
Likewise, although 90% of European workers consider that they are well informed about the risks to their health and safety, 25% of them feel that their health and safety are threatened in the conduct of their work. All these indicators vary according to the position occupied in the social division of labor: manual workers are more likely to consider their health to be at risk and affected by their work than clerical workers. There is nothing surprising about this: blue-collar workers are – as the results of the survey once again confirm – more exposed to physical and professional risks overall than white-collar workers.
When it comes to the major physical risks, the survey results provide little cause for celebration. The proportion of workers forced to make repetitive hand or arm movements continues to increase. In 2010, the share of workers exposed to this risk stood at 63.5%, an increase of 7.4% in ten years. Exposure to chemical products and substances is also on the rise, albeit to a lesser extent. Currently, averages of 15.3% of EU-27 workers are exposed to them, compared to 14.5% in 2005. Among skilled manual workers, almost one worker in three is so exposed.
The proportion of workers who are forced to adopt painful or tiring positions for at least a quarter of their working time has risen by 1% over 2005, and now stands at 46 %. Exposure to this risk is far higher among manual workers (72% among skilled workers and 59% among unskilled workers).
Finally, the 2010 results show a slight decrease in average exposure to vibrations. However, this figure masks an opposite trend among skilled manual workers, whose exposure to vibrations has increased by close to 10% over 10 years. Ultimately it is no surprise to find that while on average, 60% of European workers say that they would be able to continue doing their job after the age of 60, this is the case for less than half of manual workers.
This fifth survey likewise hints at some effects of the economic crisis. Some questions give a snapshot of the prevailing uncertainty and anxiety. The survey shows, for example, that the percentage of European workers who think that they might lose their job in the next six months has risen by 3% since 2005. Unsurprisingly, workers without a fixed-term contract are more likely to believe this. Indeed, while 16% of European workers take this view – irrespective of their employment status –, they are 32% among those without a fixed-term contract.
Another answer sheds a revealing light on the current social climate. When questioned about the possibility of losing their job, a little under a third of European workers thought they would be able to find another job with a similar salary. Finally, a question about presenteeism showed that over the twelve months preceding the survey, almost 40% of European workers had gone in to work when they were sick. (WCxKit)
The full report on the fifth European Working Conditions Survey will be published in the next few months.
Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com .
©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.
California Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena, has proposed legislation that would lessen the burden on small businesses.
According to the Pasadena Star-News, the bill, Assembly Bill 11, would establish a 20 percent tax credit to help small businesses pay for workers compensation premiums. Qualifying employers would be those with fewer than 20 employees and with less than $1 million in annual revenue. (WCxKit)
The workers comp credit would be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
The bill is geared to maintain protections for California's labor force, while helping to prevent the forms of cuts and layoffs that have been prevalent since the Great Recession began.
Portantino also noted that the bill would not make any changes to the California’s current workers comp laws. It simply assists small businesses in paying for it. (WCxKit)
A.B. 11 would be funded by allocating $200 million presently available under the seldom used small-business hiring credit to the workers comp credit
Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing.
Contact: RShafer@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 construction industry in British Columbia has finalized the amalgamation of two of its construction safety associations, converging into one umbrella organization that will serve the province’s entire construction industry.
After unanimous votes by the boards of directors of both organizations, the B.C. Construction Safety Network (CSN) and the Construction Safety Association of B.C. (CSABC) agreed to combine their services under a new banner. (WCxKit)
This new organization
, the B.C. Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA), will maintain the goals and priorities of its predecessors, while continuing to provide the same services.
The merger
is a result of WorkSafeBC suggesting it would be better if the CSN and CSABC combined their services, without forcing them to do so, said BCCSA spokesperson Alicia Brady. When both the CSN and CSABC formed, they had slightly different philosophies on how to deliver safety training, Brady said.
“In hindsight
, [WorkSafeBC] soon realized after that that didn’t make a lot of sense; they were funding two associations to do the same thing,” she said.
The amalgamation
of the two organizations was not forced, but allowed to evolve and “take shape,” Brady said. This was mainly because “there were two sides of the industry that didn’t quite see things the same way: the one side that wanted mandatory training and the other side that said, ‘we don’t want to make it mandatory for every company, but we want safety things in place,’” she said.
Don Schouten, WorkSafeBC’s industry and labor services manager for construction, said the merger came about when industry members agreed combining their services would be in the best interest of all involved.
“Industry had
also expressed the interest to merge into one association, and again everybody looked at the situation and said, ‘well, it makes sense to have one main association,’” he said.
Construction companies
in B.C. could also benefit financially from this merger, Brady said. Before the merger, WorkSafeBC collected money from companies across the province and distributed it to both the CSN and CSABC for prevention training. Now the money is going solely to the BCCSA, so it’s the BCCSA’s understanding the amount collected from each company will decrease, she said.
Another benefit
of the merger is that it provides workers and employers with one place to go for comprehensive help with training and organizational assets, while eliminating potential inefficiencies caused by having two organizations providing the same services, said Murray Coell, B.C.’s Labor minister.
This is a sentiment
Schouten echoes, saying, “pulling them together as one and having one . . . will help give a focused approach” to providing services.
The BCCSA will also act as the primary Certificate of Recognition certifier in the province, as well as provide a range of other training programs. These include the Construction Safety Specialist, Traffic Control and Construction Safety Training System programs.
In addition
, the BCCSA will continue to work with WorkSafeBC to focus on the three leading causes of death and injury at B.C. construction sites: falls, being struck and overexertion. (WCxKit)
Schouten
said he sees the relationship between WorkSafeBC and the BCCSA as one of partnership.
“It’s not about WorkSafeBC
, it’s not about the [BCCSA], it’s about improving safety in the construction industry as a whole,” he added
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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