Helping You Control the Cost of Your Workers Compensation Costs

Develop a Culture of Safety

One of the most effective ways of reducing workers' comp costs is to inculcate a culture of safety at your worksite.

• Make safety a priority: Appoint a team of “safety champions”: Depending on the size of your company it could be a few people, or one person if you are a small business.
• Investigate incidents: The safety team should investigate all incidents fully and immediately, and share key learnings with the rest of the organization.
• Management support is critical: Make safety and health a core organizational value, establish safety and health goals and objectives and communicate them.
• Evaluate and improve: Establish processes to monitor program performance, verify program implementation and identify program shortcomings and opportunities for improvement.

Get your Workers Involved in the Program

Your employees are the ones who'll be first to notice potential hazards.

• Make it easier to report: Workers often know the most about workplace hazards, make it easier for them to report any potential hazards.
• Clear roles and responsibilities: Workers must know their roles and responsibilities and be able to follow the reporting process.
• Facilitate worker input on improvements: When workers are consulted, they will feel valued and involved. Encourage them to offer their ideas.

Train Your Team

Education and training can ensure that a safety program becomes part of the workplace culture.

• Safety training: Create training on job-specific hazards, dangerous situations, safety procedures, and controls.
• Onboarding process: Make safety training as part of the onboarding process
• Continuous training and improvement: Training isn’t only for new employees. Keep everyone up to date with the latest safety recommendations for your industry with refresher courses.

Implement a Return-to-Work Program

An early return-to-work program is vital to keeping employees engaged.

• Keep communication open with the employee: Irrespective of whether the employee is on light duty at the facility or at home – is an important to keep communicating with him or her.
• Communication with the medical provider: Medical providers are critical in determining the employee's medical condition, capacity, and necessary work restrictions.
• Stay on top of claims: To avoid delays in the administration process, make claim decisions quickly. Assign case managers if needed, and monitor each case closely.

Have an Injury Management Plan in Place

Even if you've taken all precautions, injuries happen. Part of having a culture of safety has a proper plan in place in the case of an onsite work injury.

• Know where to go: It is important that your team knows if there is an injury or complaint of pain.
• Communication with the medical provider: Medical providers are critical in determining the employee's medical condition, capacity, and necessary work restrictions.
• Stay on top of claims: To avoid delays in the administration process, make claim decisions quickly. Assign case managers if needed, and monitor each case closely.