Preparing for Future Work Comp Expenses

Author in the Prevent Future Claims category

We have all thought about and planned for the future at one point in our lives, with the hope of being financially stable, in good health, and happy. Well, businesses should be doing the same planning. Having a solid return to work plan for injured workers will help your business thrive in the future.

Does your business have a solid IIPP Program (Injury and Illness Prevention Program), a safety program, and an effective implementation of those policies? Being prepared means having something in place prior to a problem occurring. Take the time to map out the steps so your business does not get lost in the world of workers compensation. Utilizing an early return to work program can help you get injured employees back on the job, save money, and protect that dream of a successful business that cares about its employees and their health.

According to the California Division of Worker’s Compensation the state average weekly wage (SAWW) has increased nearly 4% in 2008. The new maximum for 2009 temporary total disability will be increased to $958.01 a week. With these increases your business needs to have a plan on educating, rehabilitation, injury prevention, safety, ergonomics and return to work programs. This plan will help you save valuable dollars being spent on claims that you did not plan for.

Eliminate the headaches involved with building IIPP programs or Return to Work Programs and Safety Concerns! Let Proof:Positive tailor a plan for your company that will help keep your workers’ compensation costs out of the red and keep you and your employees smiling!

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Get on the Ball and Stay on the Job

Author in the Prevent Future Claims category

Want a quick and easy tip that can help your employees stay flexible and injury free? There are many exercises that can be done during breaks at work that will complete a routine daily workout – and a number of them can be done with this simple tool called an exercise ball (aka: swiss ball).

Employees can do activities such as sit ups, pushups, or placing the ball on the wall, in the small of their backs, and doing rolling squats! There are countless ways to get a full workout in just a few extra minutes throughout the day. These few extra minutes taken by the active employee, instead of getting up an extra hour before work or trying to squeeze the gym in after work, can bring about a reduced stress level and reduced potential for injury. Plus those precious extra minutes are valuable to an employee, and that could mean a happier worker. And we all know a happier worker means a more productive worker. And the long term benefit of having healthy imployees is increased productivity, and more time at the job – so it’s a win/win.

Here’s to getting on the ball and promoting the health of all your employees!

Get on the Ball

Source: Gaiam.com

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E-Mod: Know it. Understand it. Reduce it.

Author in the Prevent Future Claims category

Workers’ compensation insurance is a little complex, at times. Finding ways to save on workers’ compensation costs requires innovation on the prevention side, and a little savvy on the financial side.

A key factor for determining the amount of premium you will pay is the Experience Modifier (E-Mod). This is the multiplier applied to your manual premium rate, which determines how much premium you will be charged. If you are self-insured or have a high-deductible plan, your equivalent of the E-Mod is the Loss Development Factor (LDF).

Your injury prevention programs are the first line of defense. Decreasing the frequency of claims has a big impact on the E-Mod. Proof:Positive can help your organization drive claim frequency down through their Injury Prevention Programs, Ergonomics Evaluations and Safety Training. Investing a small amount in prevention can pay big dividends each year at policy renewal time.

It is also important to work with the right professionals once a claim has occurred. By utilizing health care professionals that understand the concepts of early return-to-work and streamlining the claim process, you can greatly reduce the severity of the claim. By delivering appropriate care and re-introducing the employee to the workplace in a timely manner, Proof:Positive helps “cut the tail off” of workers’ compensation claims. This will help drive your E-Mod down, as well.

By viewing just the workers’ compensation finance costs, the ROI on the prevention/claim management investment is compelling. If productivity increases are considered, these investments become imperative. Contact Proof:Positive to capture these savings, today!

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Is Perfume Sensitivity a Work Comp Concern?

Author in the Prevent Future Claims category

Second hand smoke kills. But what about second hand perfume? Do you have an employee that you know has clocked in because of the cologne or perfume trail leading to their cubicle?  In 2003, there was a disability discrimination claim filed by an employee with perfume sensitivity. The case was eventually dismissed, but only because the employer made reasonable accommodations to help the employee with her situation.

Strong perfume may be easy enough to ignore for many, but some people can experience sneezing frenzies, asthma symptoms, watery eyes, and other allergy symptoms. For most, the symptoms subside when the odor is no longer present, but for some, being exposed over and over leads to sensitivity for longer periods of time even after the scent is gone.

Now, at home those pesky smells are easily gotten rid of. The magazine insert is easily thrown away, maybe the soaps and candles are fragrance free, but at work it is difficult. Employers can help in many ways to make the environment a little easier to breathe in just by doing a few of the following:

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Prescription Drugs: Legal and Lethal

Author in the Prevent Future Claims category

If you are at home watching television during prime time, how many prescription drug commercials do you see in one sitting? One, two, even five will sometimes cross the airwaves in one hour. The concern becomes, if there are so many commercials for these medications, who are the people taking them? Chances are that your employees have seen those prescription commercials and could be tempted to contact their doctor for a prescription. Although it is good for your employees to communicate with their physicians, they could potentially be at risk of abusing prescription medications.

Most of these commercials are for things like cholesterol, diabetes, and osteoporosis – but what about the prescriptions that aren’t advertised like Vicodin, Oxycontin, or Percodan? These medications work by blocking pain perception, and are prescribed for acute pain, chronic pain, or pain following surgery.

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Manage Hiring Risks in an Economic Downturn

Author in the Prevent Future Claims category

The current economic turmoil brings challenges to businesses, beyond decreased sales and restrictive credit requirements. While businesses are struggling to secure credit lines and doggedly watching their accounts receivable, individuals are fighting to make ends meet as well. With companies downsizing and making adjustments, for what may be a long recovery, many people are finding themselves looking for jobs. Employers must be very wary when hiring employees, especially in a down economy.

Tough economic times have been shown to correlate with increased violent crime and increased drug abuse. Not surprisingly, these two social ills are often related. At no other time is it more important to conduct pre-employment and post-injury drug screens than during down economic cycles. Poor personal decisions by the individual need not translate into poor personnel decisions for the employer, if a smart drug screening program is in place.

Drug screening technology now allows instant results, without the need for a urine specimen. Many tests do not require collection in a clinical setting or by clinical personnel. With such quick and convenient methodologies, employers have an excellent opportunity to avoid the dangers of workplace drug abuse.

Proof:Positive can implement a drug screening program for your organization, now. Contact Proof:Positive to help manage the increasing risks of violence and drug abuse in the current economic climate.

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Crutches, Canes and Walkers – Are They Being Used Correctly?

Author in the Prevent Future Claims category

Do you have employees that are injured and require one of these aids to get around? Have you ever tried to walk using crutches or a walker? It is really not all that easy to get used to. Many people use these aids improperly and are risking further injury to themselves.

I spent many years working in an ER and found that most people are not able to get up and use crutches or walkers on their first try. I can recall spending quite a bit of time with patients, teaching them the proper way to use these aids. Having your injured employees understand how to use these aids is crucial to their recovery, and even for possible prevention of further injury.

Crutches, walkers, and even canes help your legs heal by bearing the weight you would normally put on your legs. However, the benefits can only be realized if the devices are used properly. Crutches that are too long can press on the nerves in your underarms, causing tingling, numbness and/or loss of muscle strength. Crutches, walkers, and canes that are too short, or mismatched, can cause back pain and falls.

In Health and Wellness Rooms, injured employees are taught, among other things, how to properly use their walking aids. Through guidance and self studies, an employee can learn the proper way to use these aids and help prevent the prolonging of their recovery. Knowledge helps create confidence that can help them when taking those steps towards recovery and returning to work. An added benefit: when employees feel that their employer has their best interest in mind, they are more inclined to return to work.

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Don’t Let your Employees Return to Work ‘Broken’

Author in the Prevent Future Claims category

When an employee gets hurt on the job and goes on Worker’s Comp, they usually just end up sitting at home all day long waiting for their injury to heal so that they can go back to work. In most cases, the employee’s regular job is a very physically demanding one that keeps them fairly healthy. But when they get injured, their job becomes a far more sedentary one. This sudden shift to a sedentary lifestyle can be detrimental to their body and overall health, including a wide spectrum of different types of diseases and disorders affecting all parts of the body. Some of the risks can be increased by as much as 50% or more.

A few examples of these risks include:

  • Musculoskeletal Disorders: Low Back Pain, Osteoarthritis, Bone Fractures, Connective Tissue Tears, Osteoporosis
  • Cardiovascular Disorders: Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), Congestive heart Failure, Atherosclerosis (Hardening of Arteries), Coronary Heart Disease, Hypercholesterolemia (High Cholesterol), Cardiomyopathy (any disease affecting structure and function of heart)
  • Metabolic Disorders: Overweight, Obesity, Diabetes
  • Cancer: Breast, Colon, Lung, Prostate
  • Pulmonary Diseases: Emphysema, Asthma, Chronic Bronchitis
  • Psychological Disorders: Depression, Mood, Anxiety

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The Rights Tools and Education Can Help You Save!

Author in the Prevent Future Claims category

Do your employees have the right tools for the job? Are their tools ergonomic, do they fit right, and are they the right ones for the specific task they are performing? Some research suggests that the improper use of tools at work can cause musculoskeletal disorders. This can lead to lost time at work and costly worker compensation claims. Implementing a program to prevent these injuries is extremely important. Larger companies realize the need for safety programs and so should smaller businesses. Work related injuries for big or small companies can severely damage your profits.

Tools are marketed in many different ways. Some say ergonomic and some say ‘impact resistant’ or ‘lightweight.’ All of these descriptions sound beneficial! But what if the workers hand is too small for that handle, or because it is so lightweight it really does not do the job effectively? When the tool fits, or is the right tool for the job, there is less risk of injury or repetitive injuries to your employees. When tools get used improperly, a whole list of risks pops up. Your employees may develop carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis or muscle strain.

Here are some considerations from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to help you select tools that are ergonomically correct for the employee and the job:

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Get Your World Turning

Author in the Prevent Future Claims category

Let’s get this straight you have employees that:

  1. Have a specific job goal
  2. Are willing to participate
  3. Have a deficit of their physical, emotional, functional, and occupational abilities
  4. Are at the point that a modified work program would not be prohibited

Are they at home collecting dust? Goodness, I hope not! Let’s get them in a modified program. Get them up, get them moving, and then put them into a work hardening program.  The Health and Wellness Rooms and Work Hardening Programs numbers do not lie, your employees will be up more than 50% faster than if they participated in self recovery at home. Not only that, but money makes the world go round, and it’s the hard workers that turn it for you. Research shows that having employees in a Wellness Program and/ or a Work Hardening Program drastically reduces costs to our inundated workers’ compensation system.

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