The Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation recently awarded grants to a handful of businesses in an effort to reduce worker injuries.
According to information from the Ohio BWC, more than $217,000 in safety intervention grants was doled out to 10 businesses. (WCxKit)
Private and public employers are eligible for the grants, which provide a 2-to-1 matching amount up to a maximum of $40,000. The BWC conducts follow-up studies to gauge effectiveness and establish best practices.
“Safety grants not only help employers reduce workplace injuries and illnesses, and their related costs, a majority of employers report improved productivity and product quality,” said Stephen Buehrer, BWC administrator/CEO. (WCxKit)
“On the back end, we are able to collect data that helps us focus our efforts in needed areas by determining the effectiveness of interventions and establishing best practices to share with other employers with similar safety concerns.”
West Virginia Workplace Deaths more than double in 2010
Ninety-five workers died in on-the-job incidents in West Virginia in 2010, more than double the 41 workplace deaths that occurred the previous year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported.
The preliminary 2010 total, which includes 29 coal miners who were killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine, was the highest since the annual Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries began 19 years ago. The lowest total was 40 in 2002.
Across the U.S., there were 4,457 workplace fatalities in 2010, a drop from 4,551 the previous year. (WCxKit)
Thirty-three of West Virginia’s fatalities were the result of fires, including the Upper Big Branch deaths. Due to the infrequency of workplace fire deaths, the only other year for which figures are available is 2006, when nine fatalities occurred.
Twenty workers died as a result of fatal injuries in highway incidents, up from 11 in 2009. Eight workers died after being struck by an object or equipment, compared to seven in 2009.
Other causes included exposure to harmful substances or environments, falls and being caught or compressed by equipment or objects. (WCxKit)
The most fatalities took place in the mining industry, which noted 37 deaths. Construction accidents led to 10 fatalities.
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.
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