Problem: We received an online request from a small company with approximately 50 employees. The company installs sewage treatment facilities for shopping malls, municipalities, and condominium complexes.
In the past year, 2 employees have sustained soft tissue back injuries while working on the job.
The company owner wears many hats and purchasing insurance is just one of them. Although he is a master plumbing engineer, he knows very little about how to get these employees back to work. His forte is not workers compensation management, it is running his business!
Solution: Immediately we sent the employer a Work Ability Form and told him how to use it.
-
We instructed him to forward it to his out-of-work employees
These employees were instructed to take the form to their treating physicians and have the physicians return the completed forms to him immediately
Fortunately, this employer is in a state where this is permitted.
- Next, we worked with the employer to customize several transitional duty job assignments from the Transitional Duty Job Bank that he could recommend to the treating physicians for consideration.
- All of the transitional duty assignments were sedentary office tasks where employees’ physical restrictions could be accommodated.
- Within three weeks, both employees had returned to full-time duty.
- In the meantime, the employer got the word out to employees that the company was going to sponsor a workers’ compensation management program. He did this by using several documents from the website WorkersCompKit.com. (See Note) You can develop your own forms or use those from the tool kit.
- The instructions and information we supplied provided the structure needed to communicate this to all of his employees.
- His insurance company was brought into the loop also and asked for ideas about effective integration.
- The employee brochure, What To Do If You Are Injured On The Job was customized for the company with our help. All employees received a copy.
- The brochure informed employees of new practices and procedures now that the company had a formal Workers’ Compensation Management Program
- Plus, it listed Post Injury Procedures, so that injured employee would have contact and "go-to" information at their fingertips
- The employer also used our Supervisor Training Presentation and Supervisor’s Guide to Workers’ Compensation to ensure all supervisors knew how to handle work-related incidents.
- Initially, the employer made all First Day Phone Calls:
- As they became more experienced at managing injuries, supervisors handled post-injury communication with First Day Phone Call Guidelines.
- The supervisors also maintained communication diaries to document all events and discussions.
- Supervisors were required to make sure the injured employees took the Work Ability Form with them to their treating doctors.
- All employees were given a Wallet Card – in English & Spanish – that contained contact information in case they were injured when traveling for work.
The employer now has a workers’ compensation strategy for his company and has brought all employees on board. Supervisors have been given the responsibility for front line implementation, but the employer closely monitors the program.
Ironically, this employer backed into information on LowerWC.com by focusing on solving a specific problem. As time went on, he took the Best Practice Assessment found at WorkersCompKit.com and obtained a National Workers’ Compensation Score™.
Results: The National Workers’ Comp Score™ increased once employees knew there was a transitional duty program and a communication program had been developed. In addition:
- Return to work ratio went from 25% to 95% of employees returning to work within the first 4 days after the injury.
- This resulted in 0 lost work days and a 40% reduction in workers’ compensation losses.
This employer can look around and state in all honesty that his company is now best-in-class with respect to national best practices for companies of his type and size.
LowerWC.com can help your small business control skyrocketing workers compensation costs.
When utilized properly, the tools and information provided by Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. will save your small company money just as it did for this one. For more information on how your company can reduce its workers’ comp costs, learn about our step-by-step guidebook: Workers Compensation Management Program: Reduce Costs 20% to 50%.
Note: All forms (bold / italics) and documents referenced are available at WorkersCompKit.com.
When can an employer expect to see 20% to 50% savings in workers’ comp costs?
Most employers see immediate savings. The savings is in lower loss costs year after year. For companies with large deductibles, these costs are all out of pocket and quickly begin to shrink once the employer exerts control over the claim process.
For example, instead of having $200,000 in costs of injuries per year out of pocket, your might be able to reduce that to less than $100,000 yearly, by reducing the number of claims and the duration of each of those claims. This increases impact to the bottom line.
Premiums based on the mod will also go down when claim frequency and severity are reduced as a result of “taking control.” Be aware, though, it takes several years to work the “bad” years out of the premium formula. The time to start is now!
Every one of our clients who have progressed through the full program – from assessment through implementation – have reduced losses at least 20%, usually closer to 50%, and in some cases even more.
Taking control halts the process of abuse and establishes best practices for how workplace injuries are handled.
An analogy: Taking control of the workers’ comp process in a company works much like a company establishing an inventory control system – the amount of inventory ordered is suddenly reduced by implementing a process that includes accountability and provides structure.
Looking for Help?
For immediate assistance or more information, please Contact Us.
