Workers’ compensation management involves an insurance policy that protects a business and its workers in case of on-the-job injuries. As is the case with any type of insurance policy, premiums and other costs can easily get out of control. With proper workers’ compensation management, owners have a better chance of keeping costs and expenses under control.
Create a safe work environment. Accidents, of course, do happen. Review the work areas of the company carefully to assess potential risks or dangers to employees. For example, if the warehouse area has a walk-in freezer that tends to accumulate pools of water outside of the front door from employees walking in and out, install a mat or non-slip surface in front of the door. The mat absorbs the water, prevents pooling and helps reduce the risk of an employee slipping, falling and being injured.
Write a safety program and teach your employees the policies as part of your workers’ compensation management. Owners or the human resources managers should be well versed in workplace laws and regulations designed to keep workers safe, so using these guidelines can help in devising a clear safety policy for the company. Include the solutions to preventing accidents and injuries in the workplace. Also, include information on the policy for reporting an accident or injury to the proper management representative immediately when the accident occurs.
Investigate and report accidents immediately. When an injury or accident occurs, the manager should report it to the human resources director or appointed person in your company. Investigate the accident right away. Find out what happened, gather witness statements, make sure that the employee obtains medical assistance if necessary, and place a phone call to your workers’ compensation insurance carrier right away to report the incident.
Review accident history and continue to employ efforts and policies to prevent future problems in workers’ compensation management. While you do your best to prevent and assess potential risks up-front, accidents and injuries you did not anticipate may occur. When this occurs, reassess the safety program and policies again to include information that pertains to the new safety risk. Periodically review the entire program and the policies so everything is up-to-date.
As you revise your safety program, always make sure that the employees receive a new copy of the program and policies. You should also hold at least an annual safety meeting, where employees are trained in safety policies. You may also want each employee to sign an agreement or form that verifies they received a copy of the safety policies for the company.
