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Published on Aug 18
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A safer workplace is important to employers for many reasons. A safer workplace will reduce workers’ compensation injuries, which may result in lower claims cost. The key to reducing injuries is to have a systematic approach with a regular review. By stepping back and looking at the big picture you may be surprised at what you find.
Here is an example of a 3 step process that was used by an employer to help reduce their claims:
Step 1: Review your claims history and the details surrounding your claims
One of our employers had a safety committee meeting. At the meeting, they reviewed the injury
trend report for their Ohio workers’ compensation claims.
The review should be scheduled regularly so that injury reduction is a scheduled process, not something that comes up only when there’s an issue. We provide injury trend reports to our employers (HOWEVER OFTEN), and recommend scheduling reviews for each trend report.
Step 2: Identify areas of concern and look for trends
During this review, the employer noticed they were having a lot of foreign body in the eye
claims. The employer didn’t realize they were having so many eye injuries because their
employees used protective eye goggles. Therefore, the employer decided to do a further
investigation.
By stepping back and looking at trends and injuries at a high-level, employers are better able to identify trends that may not be apparent when dealing with individual injuries. Look for commonalities among injuries including causes, time of day, etc
Step 3: Take action to resolve
They found that their industrial fans were directed too low, blowing dust and particles in
employee’s eyes. The employer changed the direction of their fans and didn’t encounter any
further foreign body in the eye claims.
Once the issue has been identified it is often easy to fix. It can be as simple as moving a fan, changing lighting or re-organizing a work station. Sometimes the smallest change can make a big difference. The key is to have a process to evaluate the data regularly and take action when needed.
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