Early Incident Reporting Saves Money and Headaches
A strong focus and commitment to injury prevention is the most surefire way to improve your safety metrics and reduce your workers’ comp costs. When prevention activities fail, and an injury occurs, it is equally important to have strong claims handling procedures in place. In fact, our data supports that claims reported within a week are 44% less expensive than those reported at four weeks! Here are some other benefits of early claim reporting:
- Decreases attorney involvement – 31% of claims reported after four weeks have attorney involvement.
- Claims close faster – 71% of claims reported after four weeks are still open at 18 months.
- Allows immediate incident investigation, which can help your safety team identify cause and avoid similar injuries in the future.
- Promotes a caring and helpful atmosphere. When you know an incident occurred, you can help your worker navigate the confusing L&I system and overcome barriers with medical treatment.
- Provides critical information for early claims management.
- Provides a level of accountability and helps you avoid fraudulent claims.
Our team of dedicated claim managers is here to help you navigate the claims process, and the sooner we know about a claim, the sooner we can help. Please report claims to us immediately by calling your ERNwest Claim Manager, reporting claims via email at claimsreporting@ernwest.com, or report claims securely online in our ERNwest Reporting Portal.
GRIP Safety Committee
Are you or someone within your company in a safety-related position and are looking for a place to share safety challenges, best practices and industry updates quarterly? If you are interested in participating in the quarterly safety committee meeting, please provide your contact information.
Return to Work (RTW)
The single most powerful tool an employer has in controlling its workers’ compensation costs is immediately providing meaningful work.
JULY TIP: When we can show progress with return-to-work activities, we can keep your claim costs lower, and that keeps your rates low and retro refunds high!
Focus on Safety (FOS) –
STRUCK BY | Falls
Each month we will focus on one of these incidents which cause the most injuries in the construction industry.
Struck-by Injuries
ERNwest has seen an increase in struck -by injuries over the last quarter. Struck-by injuries are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries and second most common fatality among construction workers. Struck by injuries are most often caused by vehicles and equipment hitting an employee or falling or flying objects such as nails from a nail gun. Struck-by injuries costs businesses $1.7 billion in workers compensation costs. Recently, a GRIP member employee was backed over by a dump truck while working on a residential project. This unfortunate struck-by incident was preventable. Click here for tips on ways to prevent struck by injuries.
ERNwest FOS Webinar Series – July Training
Each month ERNwest offers topical discussions about safety strategies unique to your industry. Download the 2021 Calendar of FOS Webinars as part of our available training and refer back to ERNwest.com/training for updates and additions.
Hiring for Safety (two options): July 13, 10:00am | July 22, 10:00am
Ladder Safety for GRIP: July 20, 10:00am
The Check Is in the Mail!
As a member of the GRIP Retro program, your company receives a retro refund check about this time each year. Have you ever wondered what impacts the amount of your refund? A significant portion of your retro check is based on your company’s performance – which means how your claim costs compare to the premium your company pays. Employers with fewer injuries and lower claim costs will receive a larger portion of the refund than employers with higher claim losses.
Higher refunds are not the only advantage. When you keep a safe workplace and control over claims, your company may also pay less premium through decreased Experience Modification Rating (EMR). On the flip side, employers who are not engaged in safety or controlling costs will not only receive less of a refund and pay higher premiums, but if that trend continues, it could threaten your company’s ability to continue participating in the retro group. Here are some basic strategies for lowering your claim cost and increasing your Retro check:
- Report all injuries to ERNwest right away. ERNwest’s claims team advocates on your behalf to make sure only valid claims are allowed and that medical treatment is only for the related injuries. To be effective in helping your company, they need to know about injuries even before a claim is filed. Report injuries at ernwest.com or by emailing claimsreporting@ernwest.com.
- Keep injured employees working. Time-loss dollars on claims reduce retro refunds 3x-5x faster than medical dollars. If an employee is unable to return to their normal work, return them immediately to light-duty consistent with their work restriction.
- Pay their regular wages if light duty is not possible. Called Kept on Salary (KOS), continuing to pay an injured employee’s wages even when they are not at work can still be financially beneficial in protecting your refunds and lowering the L&I premium you pay.
- Submit for Stay At Work (SAW) wage reimbursement. While this does not directly increase your retro refund check, it does help your bottom line. L&I will reimburse 50% of wages for your employees who work light duty. ERNwest will help you submit for reimbursement at no charge. Don’t let this be just money left on the table.
Your ERNwest claims team is here to help with these strategies and more. Contact your ERNwest claim manager or visit www.ernwest.com today to make sure you’re getting the most out of your retro participation.
Other Safety Information
Labor and Industry Inspection Activities 2021
Over the last few months, ERNwest has seen an increase in GRIP members being inspected by L&I. Many of these inspections are the result of employee complaints or inspectors driving by a jobsite. Learn the most common citations in construction.
As a reminder, GRIP members can request an annual safety walk to review their safety program and acquire resources that can help mitigate or reduce risk to your business. Members who are interested can email safety@ernwest.com to request an annual safety walk.
Heat Stress
Although we live in the Pacific Northwest, GRIP members still work in extreme temperatures which can be dangerous. L&I requires GRIP members to educate employees on the dangers of heat stress and ways to prevent illness. Download the Heat Stress brochure for a quick overview on how to protect yourself and your teams.
Upcoming Training
GRIP Webinar Training
These GRIP-specific trainings benefit new members or serve as a great refresher for established GRIP participants. Click on the dates below for more information about the training and to register.
July 1, 2021 at 2:00 pm | Getting your GRIP on Claims
ERNwest Webinar Training
ERNwest presents topics such as Understanding Industrial Insurance Rates, What is Retro? and Using Kept on Salary and Modified Duty Effectively on a monthly basis. Select a topic for more information and to register.
July 6, 2021 at 10am | Understanding Industrial Insurance
July 15, 2021 at 2pm | What is Retro?
July 20, 2021 at 10am | Fundamentals of Claims Management
July 27, 2021 at 10am | Using Kept on Salary and Modified Duty Effectively
Find more training online at ernwest.com/training.
Latest COVID-19 Updates
Additional RETRO Resources
GRIP Safety Resources
Access Toolbox Tips and general safety resources. Learn more.
Workplace incident or injury?
Contact ERNwest first.
Report incidents immediately so that your claims manager is aware and can help guide you through the process.
ERNwest.com/report-an-incident
Contact
For precautionary reasons related to COVID-19, MBAKS offices are closed until King County enters Phase 3. Staff is working remotely and can be reached via phone or email. Events and class cancellations are noted on the MBAKS Events Calendar. Refer to the MBAKS COVID-19/Updates for up-to-date information.
GRIP Retro Questions?
Ashlee Day, GRIP Group Manager, (253) 237-0809 | ADay@ernwest.com
GRIP Safety Questions?
Ann Kershul, GRIP Safety Manager, (253) 237-0819 | AKershul@ernwest.com
Michael Octave CSP, CHST, VP Safety, (253) 237-0812 | MOctave@ernwest.com
GRIP Stay-At-Work Questions?
Tom Nelson, GRIP Stay-At-Work Coordinator, (253) 372-2357 | TNelson@ERNwest.com
