This Is
COOL
Control WC Costs Through Safety
Insurance Made Simple
Has your business had an increase in Workers’ Compensation (WC)
costs as a result of workplace accidents? If so, it’s time to take a
closer look at your safety program. The key to spending fewer dollars
is more than just stopping a few accidents; it is having a sound safety
program designed to continuously improve.
Building a Solid OSHA Program
There are five entry-level steps you can take to have
a well-rounded safety program that produces a safe
work environment, achieves Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance,
reduces accidents and ultimately reduces workers’
compensation costs.
1. Develop the various programs required by the
OSHA standards.
2. Integrate those programs into daily operations.
3. Investigate all injuries and illnesses.
4. Provide training to develop safety competence in all employees.
5. Audit your programs and your work areas on a regular basis to
stimulate continuous improvement.
Develop Programs Required by OSHA Standards
Aside from being a requirement for businesses engaged in hospitality services or the
entertainment and recreation industry, OSHA standards provide a good pathway to
incident reductions. A hefty number of accidents stem from poorly developed, trained or
implemented OSHA programs: slips or trips may come from poor housekeeping standards,
burns and scalds from lax kitchen safety guidelines, and not following proper use of
hazardous materials, such as cleaning products, can result in preventable illness and injury.
Many of the OSHA standards require some type of written program be developed and
then communicated to all employees. Experience shows that companies with thoroughly
developed, OSHA-compliant programs have fewer accidents, more productive employees
and lower workers’ compensation costs.
Integrate Programs into Daily Operations
A safety program that is compliant with OSHA
standards for those in the hospitality, entertainment
and recreation industry can yield significant savings
by reducing injuries and illnesses, saving workers’
compensation dollars over the
Policies alone won’t get results; the program must move
from paper to practice to succeed. Putting a policy into
practice requires a strategic plan clearly communicated
to everyone, good execution of that plan based on
developed competencies and a culture that inspires and
rewards people to do their best.
When developing your safety initiative, there must be an
emphasis on your supervisors and helping them succeed.
long run.
If your management team knows the safety program
and wants to make it happen, the program succeeds; if not, it will be an endless drain on
resources and energies. Providing supervisors with knowledge and skills through training is
critical to the success of your safety program.
(See Control WC Costs on page 7)
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Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Fall 2018