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.
Refund Numbers are In
WFIA continues to have industry-high refunds! Thank you to all of our Retro participants who continue to keep safe workspaces, reduce time loss and provide light duty for injured employees.
27.9% (2017-18)
30.8% (2018-19)
20.2% (2019-20)
Return to Work (RTW)
The single most powerful tool an employer has in controlling its workers’ compensation costs is immediately providing meaningful work.
JUNE TIP: It’s helpful to have a list of light-duty job options for the injured employee to take to his/her initial medical appointment to streamline return-to-work. We have packets available for you as part of your program participation. To obtain one, contact your group manager.
Focus on Safety (FOS) –
Slips, Trips & Falls Prevention
Housekeeping and Spill Response
Housekeeping is one of the most important practices for preventing slips, trips and falls. Obstacles and clutter are a major cause of trips, and floor wetness and contaminants are major causes of slips. Download the Housekeeping and Spill Response PDF to learn more about ways to keep your workplace free of slip/trip/fall hazards.
ERNwest FOS Webinar Series – June 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.
June 8, 2021 at 10am | Fundamentals of Ergonomics
June 15, 2021 at 10am | Unified Fall Protection
June 17, 2021 at 10am | Fundamentals of Ergonomics
Keeping Teen Workers Safe
As we approach the summer months, many teens and younger adults will be looking to earn some extra money. Teens make great workers when employers provide adequate training and support. To hire anyone under the age of 18 in Washington there are specific rules and laws that employers must follow. Employers who violate minor work restrictions can be subject to fines and civil penalties.
Before hiring minors, you must:
- Get a minor work permit endorsement on your business license.
- Get a completed parent/school or summer authorization form (when school is in session and during summer break).
- Verify the minor’s age, gathering appropriate documentation.
- Review state and federal child labor laws to learn more about the type of work restrictions that apply to minors and the hours they can work, including rest and meal periods.
For more information on youth employment, including hiring, variances, hours of work, and required rest or meal periods, go to https://www.lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/youth-employment/how-to-hire-minors
Employers must be cautious when hiring teen workers. Keeping them safe is critical. Studies show that employees under the age of 25 have a higher rate of injuries compared to those over the age of 25, even though they work fewer hours and are prohibited by law from working in high-risk jobs. Teens may not ask for help, or ask for directions or instructions to be repeated, because they are intimidated in new settings, or as most parents will attest, they think they already know everything! For these reasons, employers must ensure that teen workers are receiving appropriate safety training, and appropriate mentoring, supervision and encouragement.
Hiring teen workers may seem like more work or more risk for some employers, but they can become vital to organizations in certain industries, with the proper hiring, training and support.
More Safety Information
Outdoor Heat Exposure, May 1 – Sep 30
We are already a month into the time of year employers must adhere to the outdoor heat exposure requirements. From May 1st through September 30th, employers in Washington State are required to take steps to protect employees working outdoors from heat illness.
Physically demanding work, heavy clothing, and dehydration can put even the healthiest workers at higher risk for serious heat illness like debilitating heat exhaustion and life-threatening heat stroke. Get more information from L&I about the signs, symptoms and treatment as well as the employer requirements surrounding outdoor heat exposure.
Upcoming 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.
June 1, 2021 at 10am | Understanding Industrial Insurance
June 3, 2021 at 2pm | What is Retro?
June 15, 2021 at 10am | Fundamentals of Claims Management
June 29, 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
WFIA Safety Resources
Access WHCA 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
Contacts
WFIA Retro Questions?
Julie Osterberg, WFIA Group Manager (253) 881-5669 | JOsterberg@ernwest.com
WFIA Safety Questions?
Brent Olson, WFIA Safety Manager (253) 237-0803 | BOlson@ernwest.com