How Do My Safety and Workers' Comp Management Programs Link Up?
Can we assume you read and put into place all the information about a workplace safety program from our post on Monday and your safety program is up and operating?
If you are not enforcing safety in your workplace (or don’t know how) you need to start by getting help, ideally by hiring a safety consultant. But, if a safety consultant’s salary is out of the budget, evaluate your worksite hazards and remedies and create a written step-by-step strategy for establishing a safety culture. Train yourself and your supervisors and then bring all employees into the safety loop.
Remember, safety compliance is not an option and failure to comply with safety rules has consequences. Bring this point home to all employees by tying the “consequences” to their performance reviews.
Safety and Managing Workers’ Compensation Programs
Make workers’ compensation management part of your safety strategy. In the event a work-related injury does occur, you and your employees are then trained to act immediately. Don’t be afraid of mentioning workers’ compensation management to your employees. It isn’t true employees then “get ideas” about “disappearing” forever on work comp. Actually, bringing workers’ comp management to the forefront of your work place culture has the opposite effect.
Employees trained from the beginning understand the employer’s return-to-work expectations – injured workers are expected to return to work as soon as able in a modified duty job capacity; they are contacted on a regular basis; they learn injured workers do not languish at home on a comp claim to become “psychologically disemployed.”
Use your workers’ compensation management communication tools to establish your expectations. Develop a brochure listing post injury response responsibilities for supervisors, witnesses and employees.
The brochure must contain medical contact information even in those states where employees get to pick the treating physician. Employers still can recommend treatment facilities and often employees opt to go to the recommended facility.
Summarize the post-injury response/medical contact information and safety rules on a laminated card employees wear with their badges on a lanyard. Then, all employees always carry the information with them.
Workers’ compensation management signage, just like safety signage, is posted in walkways, cafeterias, restrooms, work sites, and other places where employees work and gather. (workersxzcomxzkit)
A small business owner who takes the proactive step of integrating workers’ comp management with a safety program covers both sides of the “injury coin.” First, your safety plan prevents injuries. Second, if an injury occurs, your work comp management plan provides immediate help to the injured worker while taking control of the RTW issues and claim process.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers' Compensation costs, including airlines, health care, manufacturing, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. He can be contacted at: Robert_Elliott@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
Podcast/Webcast: Claim Handling Strategies
Click Here:
http://www.workerscompkit.com/gallagher/podcast/ Claim_Handling_Strategies/index.php
We accept articles about WC cost containment. Contact us at: Info@ ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.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.
©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
