DIG Insurance & Business Magazine Fall 2019 | Page 27

Business Changes . Safety Training Is A Constant . Reduce Workers’ Compensation Claims By Teaching Your Team How To Stay Safe On The Job. A s your company grows and evolves, you invite new talent into your business: hiring employees, promoting individuals to new roles in the organization, and other changes in personnel. While you may be focused on skills-based training and leadership development during this time, what about worker safety and wellness? Take the opportunity to reintroduce these concepts to current team members and train new employees so you can reduce the likelihood of workers’ compensation claims. Here are some safety training tips. PLAY IT SAFE Train employees to safely complete tasks based on their job requirements. This might include how to lift properly or how to turn a machine on and off. For employees who spend most of their days at a desk, remind them to stand at least every hour and focus on creating an ergonomic work environment. ESTABLISH EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS Create a safety plan that outlines procedures for handling and reporting injuries and emergencies. Include first responders’ phone numbers. Require employees to read the plan and sign off that they agree to the protocol. SPECIFY SAFE GEAR Be sure that employees are properly outfitted for their work. For example, some roles require wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), and many jobs demand specific footwear. Don’t assume your employees will come BY: KIESHA JONES, SENIOR CLAIMS SPECIALIST to work dressed for safety. Build this information into your employee handbook and review it with each team member. SET RULES FOR RETURNING TO WORK Establish a written return-to-work policy so employees understand expectations if they become injured and/or file a workers’ compensation claim. Talk to your insurance carrier about placing employees at a different location if you do not have appropriate modified work available. The key is to keep employees productive, which will increase the likelihood of them returning to work full time. POST SIGNS AND LABELS Prepare signage that can quickly be posted in case of spills. Properly post notices by hazardous materials such as stored chemicals or sharp tools. Refer to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for guidance regarding what signs should say. Deeley can be a resource here, as well. CONTINUE THE SAFETY CONVERSATION Schedule regular tailgate meetings to keep your team focused on safety. Ask us how we can help. Deeley Insurance Group can arrange workplace training sessions, offer literature that you can provide to employees, and answer your claims questions. The reality is, businesses are always in transition. So the best way to prevent workers’ compensation claims is to make safety training a constant in your organization. + Kiesha Jones is the Senior Claims Specialist at Deeley Insurance Group. She has over 18 years of insurance experience. Kiesha provides guidance, direction and assistance to insureds during the claims process. She is a member of the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church. Kiesha resides in Dorchester County with her husband Roland and godson Kamryn. She has 2 grown children and 1 grandson. In her free time she enjoys cooking, spending time with family, and reading. 410.213.5561 • [email protected] ENSURING SAFETY FOR NEW WORKERS WHO IS A “NEW” WORKER? A “new” worker can be any age and includes those who are: • New to the workplace or location; • Facing hazards that have changed while they were absent from work; • Are working in a new location/ company that has different hazards than their previous job or place of employment. WHY ARE NEW WORKERS AT GREATER RISK OF INJURY? New workers may be: • Performing unfamiliar tasks; • Unsure about their safety rights and responsibilities; • Uncomfortable speaking up about hazards or asking questions. HOW CAN EMPLOYERS KEEP NEW WORKERS SAFE? • • • • • Adopt a safety culture; Develop a written safety program; Include safety training in new hire orientation; Assign supervisors to mentor new employees; Encourage a buddy system. Employees in their first month on the job are at three times the risk for a lost-time injury than those on the job for more than one year, according to the Toronto- based Institute for Work & Health.