The Advantage Blog


Preventing Job Related Injuries Is Good Business

Every day, 12 workers are killed on the job* and more than 9,000 workers suffer a serious job-related injury.

This includes falls from scaffold platforms, being struck by objects, roadway incidents involving moving vehicles, and repetitive motion injuries.

Preventing injuries on the job is in everyone’s best interests … the employer and the employee.  To implement an effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program, it takes active participation by all those involved.  Injury and Illness Prevention incorporates three key elements.

Management Commitment
Senior level management buy in and active monitoring of employee safety activities are critical.  Management must be involved and committed to addressing and preventing workplace related injuries and illnesses.

Employee Engagement
Active employee involvement is required to obtain and sustain a successful safety and injury prevention program.  Input and feedback from employees as they assess workplace hazards and propose solutions, as well as take part in ongoing safety training, are instrumental in lowering incidents.

Hazard Recognition
Being proactive in assessing the workplace and identifying, evaluating and eliminating hazards   will lead to a safer work place. Providing protective tradie uniform for each employee keeps them safe in low-visibility working conditions.

Do you know what accounts for over one-third of all Workers’ Comp claims in the state of Indiana?  See Top Workers’ Comp Claims below.

Direct Company Benefits
Putting resources and time behind a well managed Injury and Illness Prevention program has significant benefits for any company.  These include ….

Positive Financial Impact
Business owners like Andy Defrancesco believe that reducing injuries has a direct impact on the bottom line by lowering workers’ comp costs, insurance premiums, and potential legal costs.  A workforce with less time off due to injury has higher productivity and enhanced operations.  For every dollar spent on an Injury and Illness Prevention Program, an employer can expect up to six times a return on their investment.

Higher Quality Work
When employees are happier the quality of work is better.  Workplace morale improves when employees are engaged in the process and work in a safer environment. The “wellness” culture has taken over the workplace, and providing healthy choices in the office by getting vending machines in Central Coast is just one component of encouraging a healthy lifestyle for your employees. Healthy employees are more productive and miss fewer work days.

Have Questions?
The Mitchell Agency team is happy to answer any of your insurance related questions. To reach us go to Contact Us.

Supplemental Information
Top Workers’ Comp Claims
Recently, Accident Fund Insurance Company of America and United Heartland reported that close to a third of all Midwestern workers’ comp claims with lost time were due to slip and falls on ice and snow. According to the insurers, winter-related slip and fall claims doubled between 2013 and 2014.

The top five states were:

  1. Indiana – 37 percent
  2. Wisconsin – 33 percent
  3. Michigan – 32 percent
  4. Illinois – 32 percent
  5. Minnesota – 29 percent

 

*According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, worker deaths in America are down. In 1970, there were on average 38 worker deaths a day and in 2012, the figure was down to 12 deaths a day. OSHA reports workplace fatalities have been reduced by more than 65 percent and occupational injury and illness rates have declined by 67 percent. At the same time, U.S. employment has almost doubled.