The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) recently released medical price index data geared toward thee specific states. Regardless of where you are based, we all can learn from them.
They are:
In the Virginia study, WCRI found the 2010 price for non-hospital services was nearly 30 percent higher than the median price in states with fee schedules. The original nine-year study, Medical Price Index for Workers’ Compensation, Third Edition (MPI-WC), showed prices grew much faster than the typical growth rate of 11 percent in states with fee schedules.
The study further showed in Wisconsin, their system had the highest prices and fastest growth in their WCRI’s Medical Price Index. “The price for non-hospital services in Wisconsin in 2010 was the highest of the 25 study states, more than twice the prices in the 25-state median, and nearly 50 percent higher than the median of the 6 states with no fee schedules,” the study says.
A WCRI press release indicated, “The prices in Wisconsin increased 42 percent, much faster compared to median growth rate of 11 percent of the states with fee schedules, also faster than the 28 percent typical growth rate of the states without fee schedules.”(WCxKit)
Lastly, the Indiana portion of the larger study indicated the 2010 price for non-hospital services in that state was the third highest of the 25 study states, more than 50 percent higher than typical prices paid in the study states with fee schedule regulation. The nearly 30 percent growth in Indiana was much faster than the typical growth rate of 11 percent in states with fee schedules, according to a WCRI press release.
ABOUT WCRI:
The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization based in Cambridge, MA. Since 1983, WCRI has been a catalyst for significant improvements in workers' compensation systems around the world with its objective, credible, and high-quality research. WCRI's members include employers; insurers; governmental entities; managed care companies; health care providers; insurance regulators; state labor organizations; and state administrative agencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Author Rebecca Shafer
, JD, President of Amaxx Risk 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. She is the author of the #1 selling book on cost containment, Manage Your Workers Compensation: Reduce Costs 20-50% www.WCManual.com.
Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
For the fourth year in a row, Work Comp Roundup has been selected as a LexisNexis Top 25 Blog for Workers Compensation and Workplace Issues – 2011, in the Safety and Employer-Related Blogs category.
LexisNexis Workers Compensation Law Community Announced the top 25 blogs for workers compensation and workplace issues last week.
LexisNexis also noted owner and CEO of
Amaxx Workers Comp Resource Center, parent company to
Work Comp Roundup, Rebecca Shafer's "
Tribute to Colleagues Sept. 11 – 10th Anniversary" is “one of the most poignant remembrances of the nation's loss on that dark day in 2001. Two of the largest insurance brokers in the world were housed within the World Trade Center. Marsh and AON collectively lost almost 600 employees in the attack. Becki had been employed at various times by both companies. In her Tenth Anniversary 9/11 piece, she mourns the loss of many friends and colleagues, and challenges us all not to forget them.”
An attorney and risk consultant she said this the fourth year in a row Lexis Nexis has awarded the blog with this great honor.
"We are pleased with the recognition this brings. Each day we strive to find new information on the vast workers compensation industry and pride ourselves in reaching all kinds of comp topics, be they legal, health-related, financial or many other areas of this industry; we are glad that those seeking information on holding down WC costs think of
lowerwc.com first to find answers," Shafer said.
She continued, "Employers rely on us and we can help them because we have so much experience in the field working with them down in the trenches. We don't just give academic advice; our experience is from the perspective of an in-house counsel, a defense counsel, an in-house risk manager, brokers, and directly from employers. I get weekly calls and emails asking for advice and we are able to guide them because we know what all parties need to know. We are constantly reassessing what we write to make sure it's helpful to those wishing to reduce their costs."
Selections for the award were made by the LexisNexis Workers Compensation Law Community staff using feedback from community members and Larson’s National Workers Compensation Advisory Board members.
The Top 25 Blogs contain some of the best writing out there on workers compensation and workplace issues in general. They contain a wealth of information for the workers compensation community with timely news items, practical information, expert analysis, practice tips, frequent postings, and helpful links to other sites. “These blogsites also show us how workplace issues interact with politics and culture. Moreover, they demonstrate how bloggers can impact the world of workers' compensation and workplace issues,” LexisNexis officials said.
The full announcement and list of honorees is here.
Author Rebecca Shafer
, JD, President of Amaxx Risk 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. She is the author of the #1 selling book on cost containment, Manage Your Workers Compensation: Reduce Costs 20-50% www.WCManual.com.
Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
Broadspire celebrates its fifth anniversary with Crawford this month.
Broadspire is a third-party administrator that provides workers compensation and liability claim management and related medical management services. It is based in Atlanta, Ga., with 85 locations throughout the United States. Crawford & Company, Broadspire’s parent, is the world's largest independent provider of claims management solutions to the risk management and insurance industry as well as self-insured entities, with an expansive global network serving clients in more than 70 countries.
According to Crawford President and CEO Jeffrey Bowman, the Broadspire brand was formed when Crawford & Co. acquired it in 2006 and merged it with Crawford Integrated Services. The acquisition more than doubled the company’s workers compensation business. It is now a $1 billion company.
The acquisition kept the Broadspire name but rebranded Crawford’s risk and healthcare management operations.
Bowman said his company’s goal was to combine the best of two TPAs into a single, industry-leading organization. “Five years later, I’m happy to say that we have accomplished that, and much more. As the world’s largest independent provider of claims management solutions, Crawford and its global infrastructure help ensure that clients receive consistent service, data analytics and practical solutions,” he said.
The company’s list of accomplishments is long.
For example, Broadspire’s COO in medical services, Danielle Lisenbey, was recently named a LexisNexis workers compensation notable person for 2010 for her exceptional leadership.
Lisenbey is responsible for the daily operations of Broadspire’s medical bill review (MBR), utilization management, telephonic case management and field case management teams and the physician review and medical unit. Her career with Broadspire began in 1991 as an operations supervisor for the MBR unit, and she progressed through that organization, serving at various times as manager, director and vice president.
Her success in MBR operations prompted the promotion to her current position in 2007. She holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and technology from Western Illinois University. She is a member of The Society of Manufacturing Engineers and The National Association of Women Executives.
Among the company’s recent innovations include:
1. The Broadspire Original Landmark Design (BOLDSM) PPO network that analyzes medical data and outcomes.
2. Their Chronic Pain Management Program helps clients deal with pain through a proprietary system of candidate identification, triage, plan development and follow-up. They can maximize employees’ functionality, reduce dependence on medication and return people to work faster.
3. A durable medical equipment (DME) formulary that applies the cost management principles of a pharmacy formulary to DME, meeting the medical needs of an injured worker while at the same time ensuring a measurable reduction in the cost of equipment and supplies.
4. A comprehensive chronic pain management program that uses an interdisciplinary approach to maximize an injured worker’s quality of life, reduce medication dependence and control costs.
5. Broadspire@HomeSM assists patients with getting the medical support they need, avoiding protracted hospital stays and saving thousands of dollars in healthcare costs.
6. The company has also hosted a number of technology changes since joining with Crawford, including investments in claims and risk management information systems (RMIS) that allow them to handle claims more efficiently and use analytics to improve clients’ business results.
7. RiskTech® is Broadspire’s new claims system. It captures information to improve claims management effectiveness.By moving workers compensation and liability claims professionals to a single claim system, Broadspire is able to streamline processes, improve data flow and produce optimal loss cost results.
8. The company also enhanced e-Triage®, their proprietary web-based application that addresses the biosocial aspects of claims.
9. Dmitri® is Broadspire’s next-generation risk management system. It provides clients with total access to information. It allows clients to access data from any web browser in real time.
According to Broadspire president and CEO Ken Martino, the future holds many things for his company, including:
1. Creating more functionality and delivering more features in the technology that serves customers.
2. Investment in analytical capabilities to offer more benchmarking data and an even greater number of tools.
3. New services that return healthy employees to productivity and help employers control the cost of their workers compensation programs.
4. An expanded global footprint to serve international customers.
5. More education for their 2,000 employees.
Author Rebecca Shafer
, JD, President of Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is the author of the #1 selling book on cost containment, Manage Your Workers Compensation: Reduce Costs 20-50% www.WCManual.com.
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.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
A Western Sydney manufacturing company and its director have been fined a total of $127,400 and ordered to pay WorkCover’s legal costs after a high powered industrial blender was turned on with a man inside it.
According to a report from WorkCover Authority of New South Wales, FIP Brakes International (FIP) produces industrial sized brake pads, as well as other products, for trains and other railway vehicles and employs around 60 people mainly based at its facility in Wetherill Park. Its managing director is Chris Katakouzinos. (WCxKit)
A machine operator was killed when he was cleaning out an industrial blender at FIP’s premises. The power to the machine had not been isolated and the machine became operational with the worker still inside. He died at the site with extensive crush injuries and lacerations.
A WorkCover investigation found a significant number of safety failings:
1. The machine should not have been able to operate while its front doors were open.
2. The safety switches were either broken or malfunctioning.
3. The machine’s electrical power supply had not been turned off.
4. The machine operator should not have been working alone.
5. The machine was not properly maintained.
6. The operator was not given proper training.
In handing down her finding in the Industrial Court, Justice Backman said the incident was foreseeable and that there were serious deficiencies in the company’s systems.
FIP was fined $117,000 and Katakouzinos $10,400. The court ordered them to pay WorkCover’s legal costs.
WorkCover NSW’s Acting General Manager of Work Health and Safety Division Peter Dunphy said the risks to the employee’s safety were entirely foreseeable and the incident should never have happened.
“This case is particularly significant given that the company’s insurer had 12 months previously identified major shortcomings in the company’s occupational health and safety systems.
“The WorkCover investigation found that many of the identified problems had not been addressed. (WCxKit)
“The steps that should have been taken were not only simple, but they were well-known safety practices in the industry.”
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk 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. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
A just-published NY decision, Browne v. Medford Multicare (2011 NY Slip Op 07764), gives employers greater than ever incentives for return to work offers in NY comp claims.
The Board conceded that the worker had a partial disability. However, the employer had made an offer of lighter work, which at least one medical exam said was within her limits. The worker turned down the offer for lighter work. (WCxKit)
Even though the treating doctor advised that she not take the offer, the Board said that the evidence supported her ability to do lighter work and halted further payments of compensation.
The decision demonstrates the value of offers of modified work by the employer. Settlement awards for ongoing partial disability can be reduced to a fraction with offers of lighter, modified work.
The offer, and meetings leading to an offer, are part of the employer-employee relationship, not the comp claim, and are not controlled by the Board, carrier/TPA or the attorneys. Such meetings, often with spouse present, permit flexibility and an atmosphere of trust, as the parties have already been in contact many times before.
A little recognized feature of RTW meetings is that they can be part of ADA compliance. It is a fallacy that ADA applies only to hiring. Retention is covered as well.
The NY decision, coupled with expanded ADA compliance, can substantially reduce comp costs. A 20% reduction is quite feasible. It should be remembered that family members generally support all efforts to return a member to work as soon as possible.
Author: Attorney Theodore Ronca is a practicing lawyer from Aquebogue, NY. He is a frequent writer and speaker, and has represented employers in the areas of workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, employee disability plans and subrogation for over 30 years. Attorney Ronca can be reached at 631-722-2100. medsearch7@optonline.net
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.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
Eight individuals were recently convicted of or pleaded guilty to charges related to defrauding Ohio’s workers compensation system. according to the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC).
According to Information from the BWC:
Cecil Webb pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts of deception to obtain a dangerous drug and one first degree misdemeanor count of workers comp fraud. (WCxKit)
Robert Black, DBA Mallard Home Services, pleaded guilty to workers comp fraud for operating his business without coverage. Agents interviewed Black, who indicated the altered certificate was a clerical error on his part, and then admitted to operating a business while his business’ coverage was in final cancel status and submitting false payroll and other information to BWC.
Dr. John Esarco, DC pleaded guilty to workers comp fraud for billing for services not rendered. The investigation found Esarco was billing for exercise therapy, a service which he did not perform.
George Seiber pleaded guilty to working while receiving benefits. Seiber owned and operated Roofer Inc.com while receiving temporary total disability benefits.
Dana Fordenwalt, owner of Twin Peaks Roofing, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors for failure to comply with the law for underpaying his workers comp and misrepresenting the number of workers employed by his business. (WCxKit)
BWC Administrator/CEO Stephen Buehrer noted “Eight more convictions during the month of August are the result of close monitoring of suspicious activity by our investigators and detailed follow-up on allegations of fraud. Their diligence helps to protect the State Insurance Fund on behalf of Ohio injured workers and employers.”
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk 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. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Three Massachusetts masonry companies and their owners have been ordered to pay more than $68,000 for failing to pay the prevailing wage, according to information from Attorney General Martha Coakley.
Investigators of the Fair Labor Division conducted site inspections at nine public construction projects. During these site inspections, the investigators observed and filmed employees performing masonry tasks, such as cutting block or brick with a masonry saw. A review of the certified payroll records submitted by these companies to the awarding authorities showed that the employers misclassified their masonry workers as laborers, and consequently failed to pay the employees the prevailing wage rate. (WCxKit)
The Department of Labor Standards (“DLS” – formerly the Division of Occupational Safety) is statutorily authorized to set the prevailing wage rates for all public construction projects in Massachusetts and to determine which tasks fall into which job classifications. In 2004 and 2008, the DLS issued letters stating that cutting brick or block is a masonry task.
The AGO cited the following three companies and their owners for violations at the following public construction projects:
1. D’Agostino Associates, Inc. of Newton, and John D’Agostino, 84, of West Newton were fined a total of $30,000 for four violations: Norwood High School; Hanover High School; Avery Elementary School in Dedham; and Natick High School.
2. Lighthouse Masonry, Inc. of New Bedford, and Paul M. Alves, 43, of North Dartmouth were fined a total of $22,500 for three violations: Wayland High School; Salem State University; and the Ruane Judicial Center in Salem.
3. Fernandes Masonry, Inc. of New Bedford, and Victor M. Fernandes, 39, of Acushnet were fined a total of $15,000 for two violations: Westboro Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade project and the Weston Public Works project.
Each company was ordered to pay a $7,500 fine for each wage violation and pay restitution to their employees for the one hour’s worth of time which the investigators observed. (WCxKit)
Additionally, the Attorney General’s Office ordered Lighthouse Masonry and Paul Alves to pay a $500 fine for failing to submit true & accurate certified payroll records at the Ruane Judicial Center project due to its failure to list one of its employees, observed by the investigators, on the certified payroll record.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk 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. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
The Americans with Disabilities Act extends the ability of workers with disabilities to be employed with reasonable accommodation. Medical examinations and review of prior medical records are frequently necessary for a vocational expert to comment on what jobs can be done by an individual with a disability and what the earning capacity would be. The vast number of ADA examinations are for pre-employment purposes. The use of ADA for examinations of workers in serious comp claims has received little attention.
In serious workers comp claims, precisely the same issues relevant to a pre-employment ADA exam appear about a year after date of accident, a time at which a permanent rate of disability and amount of wage loss in NY claims will be considered. Settlements will also be discussed. (WCxKit)
Using New York as an example (settlement procedures vary widely from state to state), an ADA examination and conference can be an effective RTW strategy and greatly reduce post-injury loss of earnings. In addition, ADA compliance is not subject to oversight and regulation by state workers comp agencies. Nor does an ADA medical exam count as a workers comp IME.
The ADA compliance exam must be done by the employer as part of a good faith effort to return a worker to employment. The worker, however, must indicate an interest in return to work for the employer; the exam cannot be forced.
A typical procedure might be as follows, subject to many modifications under collective bargaining agreements.
1. After a reasonable period, the employer may ask the worker if there is interest in returning to work, on a trial basis and with reasonable accommodations.
2. A face-to-face conference may be scheduled, with spouse present, to discuss the possibilities and the wages which would be paid.
3. A medical exam may be necessary to determine what accommodations might be necessary.
4. A vocational expert should compose a report and comment on wage earning capacity.
5. An effort to place the worker into a suitable job must be made.
In NY, settlement figures for comp PPD claims cluster at 50% disability, resulting in many claims with over $400/wk. rates. With a proper ADA program, many of these can be held to $100/wk., less, or even no wage loss.
A fact known to nearly every Social Security disability attorney is that the spouse is usually highly supportive of RTW, not extended disability. Involving the spouse in RTW discussions will produce far better results. (WCxKit)
The ADA exam and conference are part of the employer/employee relationship, not the workers comp claim, and are therefore outside the control of a comp board.
Author: Attorney Theodore Ronca is a practicing lawyer from Aquebogue, NY. He is a frequent writer and speaker, and has represented employers in the areas of workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, employee disability plans and subrogation for over 30 years. Attorney Ronca can be reached at 631-722-2100.
medsearch7@optonline.net
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.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
So you have decided to provide some light duty or transitional work for injured workers to decrease wage loss expense. First of all, congratulations! This is the first step in decreasing claims costs. The wage expense in a comp claim is most usually the biggest cost, and any chance you have of decreasing that cost should be taken. But what should the workers do? What if they do not follow the rules and get hurt again? What if this light duty work hinders the rehab and recovery?
These are all common issues and concerns. But there are ways to work around them with jobs that already in the workplace for these workers to do. Jobs that are no more or less strenuous than
anything else they do in a daily basis while out of work. If stumped for ideas as to where to start, use this information , and then further customize your jobs based on the building blocks we list below. These will not apply to all areas of every employer, but at least it offers possible job ideas. (WCxKit)
Although not glamorous, janitorial tasks are a much needed function of the workplace. A broom is not heavy so sweeping the floor and back storage areas is not only sanitary but can also reduce risks for slips and falls due to debris. Maybe wiping down machines and making sure they are in proper working order is a job the injured party can do based on level of experience. With winter looming, salting entryways and making sure rugs and mats are in good shape and in good working order is a must to prevent falls. Mopping could also be done, but it can involve lifting and twisting with a wet, heavy mop, so make sure your worker is capable of that before you assign that task to them. The goal is to have them working with light materials and prevent exertion that can cause further injury.
There may be a lot of jobs around the shop that are not done on a regular basis. Oiling machinery will increase the performance of the machine, as will changing belts, cleaning guards, checking saw blades, or cutting surfaces.
The tasks are not limited to only machinery. Light painting can freshen and improve the look of the work floor. Replacing broken faucets, light bulbs, cracked mirrors, or repairing/caulking windows that may be not closing properly can also help. Checking outlets for proper power wattage is another one. Go out on the floor and ask workers what needs to be done or what is not working properly and make the injured worker a “to-do” list. There
may not be enough work for them to last weeks, but at least it gets them back to work and doing something while in recovery mode.
These jobs can include answering the phone, taking sales orders from clients, copying materials for files, or scanning paperwork for example. Ask the office staff about any upcoming
projects and what needs to be done they have been putting off for a while. Chances are there are some sedentary work tasks available and needed, and this is a perfect task for your injured worker to do. That way a fully functional worker without work restrictions can focus on more important tasks, or jobs that are more strenuous in nature.
A lot of employers carry a certain level of inventory for workplace needs. Obviously the amount of inventory being carried depends on the type of workplace. But if you have the need, this is another light task the injured worker can do. Taking proper inventory and ordering more supplies is also another task to cross off your own to-do list. Have the injured worker tally up what is currently in stock, what needs to be ordered, and when it should arrive before supply runs low. This is also a good time to have the worker shop and price supplies. You might be able to find another vendor that can provide a better supply for a lower price. This way not only gets the injured worker back to work, but the employee is also saving you money in the long-term.
5. Job supervision and reporting
If the injured worker is unable to do the normal job, maybe the employee can still go out on job sites and help the other workers. Not only supervise the overall job, but the worker could also assist in gathering light materials needed for the job. If the work involves ladders and scaffolding, have someone on the ground to help the other workers, so they do not have to go up and down the ladders repeatedly to fetch materials or tools.
The injured worker also can report back like how the job is going so far, and recommend any changes or needed materials for the jobsite. This will keep the job running on time for completion, and it is just another task that nobody thinks of until the issue arises. You stay on top of the job status, and if certain recommendations are suggested and implemented, maybe that job is completed sooner than expected, resulting in a happier client.
If there is a management member out of work due to a claim, maybe now is a good time to bring them in to do annual performance reviews. This way they can pull all the personnel files on the workforce, review them, get updated feedback from other supervisors on what the current performance is like, and then sit down with the employee to conduct a review and suggest improvements. Again this may not supply the injured workers with weeks and weeks of work, but at least it is something that needed to be done. And if you have the right candidate to do it then it makes sense to have that person complete the task.
A lot of larger employers, such as grocery stores and retail businesses, have in-house surveillance cameras. The injured worker can monitor the day to day surveillance, clean up messes or spills, rotate product, place shelf signs, or any other light task that may need to be done. Theft prevention can also be addressed; however, you do not want the injured worker trying to apprehend anyone and get injured again.
8. Accounts payable/receivable
Another sedentary job is shifting the injured worker over to helping with accounts receivable/payable. Your business probably has vendors to pay, and you also may have clients that have outstanding invoices. Have the worker take over the books, and see if they can collect payment on some of the invoices that have not been paid. Sometimes a faxed invoice to a client followed up by a phone call is all it takes to get the invoice paid. This task will clean the books up, and make the company current with payments that are coming in and going out all the time.
If the injured party has restrictions but can still do most of the job, assign an entry-level helper to go along and do the tasks that they cannot do. This provides the newer employee a chance to learn more about the business and job duties, and it allows the injured worker to keep doing the normal job, now with the assistance of a helper
10. Reach out to the injured party for ideas
When you just cannot think of anything for the injured worker to do, reach out to them and see what ideas the employee has. The incentive for the worker is the chance to return to work, and maybe make the normal pay instead of collecting reduced wages on workers comp. Sometimes great ideas are suggested. So keep an open mind, solicit some ideas from them, and try to do what you can to implement those job ideas. (WCxKit)
Trying to create jobs for the injured workers is no easy task. But with an open mind and some creativity, get injured workers back to work. Not only does this cut down on the workers comp expense but it also can complete some overdue tasks. Put some thought in to it, and ask others around the workplace for ideas. Together you should be able to come up with a list of tasks that need to be done. Every dollar saved on wage loss will count in the end. Keep track of the cost of having these workers come back to light duty work, and weigh it against the cost of keeping them out of work, only returning at full duty. You will be surprised at the cost savings a implementing a light duty work program.
Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risk 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. She is the author of the #1 selling book on cost containment, Manage Your Workers Compensation: Reduce Costs 20-50% www.WCManual.com.
Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
Organizations and individuals across B.C. are being recognized for exceptional efforts in promoting safety and health in the workplace. Winners of NAOSH (North American Occupational Safety and Health) Week and Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) Achievement Recognition awards were acknowledged recently at the 2011 Safety Forum and Awards ceremony in Langley, according to a report from WorkSafe BC.
“Our common goal is to promote safety and health at work in our province, nation, and our world,” said Tanya Steele, president of the NAOSH Week Steering Committee—B.C. “This week provides the opportunity for organizations to challenge themselves to do something unique in the continued promotion of and dedication to safety at work.” (WCxKit)
NAOSH Week is marked by a 1997 agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, dedicating a week each year to focus on occupational health and safety. It was held from May 1–7, 2011, with more than 50 companies in B.C. participating, and 14 organizations receiving 18 provincial recognition awards. The CSSE Achievement Recognition Awards are given annually to individuals, organizations, and groups that have demonstrated outstanding commitment and effort to the occupational health and safety field.
The best overall winner in the provincial NAOSH Week competition was Versacold Logistics and EV Logistics based in Delta, B.C. Employees and managers organized a multitude of activities demonstrating the effects of what life could be like after a workplace injury, including one-handed hockey slap shot, eye-patch basketball, and one-legged golf putting. They held a blood-drive clinic, a forklift rally competition, evacuation drills, health and fitness seminars, and much more. Versacold’s overall effort also resulted in the company being awarded honorable mention in the Canadian national competition.
“We believe our efforts to make safety a priority in the organization has made a significant difference to the business, with reductions in time-loss accidents being a key indicator of this success,” says Mike Stephens, OH&S manager, Western Canada Versacold Logistics. “Since first participating in safety and health week in 2006, we have reduced time-loss accidents by 93 percent and days lost by 90 percent.”
Two organizations in B.C. were category winners in both the provincial and national NAOSH Week competitions. In the provincial event, the Squamish Nation in North Vancouver won for best new entry, and the City of Kamloops won best of theme. Both of these organizations tied for best new entry in the competition across Canada.
In B.C. last year, more than 95,000 workplace injury claims were accepted by WorkSafeBC, and 143 of these were fatal claims. On average, 2,600 work injuries are reported every week, and 17 workers are permanently disabled every working day.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk 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. See
www.LowerWC.com for more information.
Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact
Posted in
Assessment & Diagnostics, Benchmarking & FTE & Operational Comparison, Medical Cost Containment & Managed Care |
