News and Analysis
Do You Have a Good Safety Intervention Idea? It Might Qualify for a BWC Safety Grant
February 2, 2018Fourteen Ohio employers will share $341,020 in grants from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) to purchase equipment designed to substantially reduce or eliminate workplace injuries and illnesses.
The Safety Intervention Grant program matches an employer’s investment 3-to-1 up to a maximum of $40,000. Quarterly data reports and follow-up case studies measure the effectiveness of employers’ safety interventions and establish best practices for accident and injury prevention. Learn more about the Safety Intervention Grant Program. 2/1/2018
BWC Proposes 12% Premium Reduction
January 26, 2018This week, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) asked its board of directors to reduce private employer premium rates by 12 percent beginning July 1.
The BWC reports that, if approved, the reduction would save private employers $163.5 million over this year’s premiums.
What enables the proposed reduction is fewer workplace injury claims and slow-to-moderate growth in medical inflation according to BWC Administrator/CEO Sarah Morrison.
BWC reported 86,290 allowed claims in 2017, a near 18% drop from 2011. This is the lowest number of claims dating back to at least 1997.
The actual premium paid by individual private employers depends on a number of factors, including the expected future claims costs in their industry, their company’s recent claims history, and their participation in various BWC discount programs.
The board is scheduled to vote on the recommendation during its next regular meeting scheduled for Feb. 23. 1/25/2018
Group Self-Insurance Bill has Hearing
January 26, 2018This week Rep. Mike Henne (R-Clayton) provided sponsor testimony on House Bill 459 in the House Insurance Committee. The bill would allow groups of employers to be granted self-insured status under the state’s Workers’ Compensation Law provided the employers have sufficient financial ability to pay their workers’ compensation obligations and abide by the regulatory framework which would be established by the BWC Administrator.
Rep. Henne testified: “A self-insurance group is a method by which small to medium sized employers within the same industry can pool their workers’ compensation liability together and spread it amongst multiple employers. Many self-insured employers can disperse their risk within their own company and have the means to meet the financial obligations of their workers’ compensation program. By allowing employers to group together, they can have the same characteristics of the employers that are self-insured.”
The OMA Safety and Workers’ Compensation Committee will be discussing this bill and much more at its February 13 meeting. 1/25/2018
Safety Congress Sessions for Manufacturers
January 26, 2018
The Ohio Safety Congress & Expo will run March 7-9 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Among the 200 educational sessions presented by experts from across the country, this programming has been created specifically for Ohio’s manufacturers.
Stop by the expo marketplace and say hi to us at booth #644!
Attendance is free for Ohio employers and their employees. 1/24/2018
Employers Must Post Injury/Illness Summary Beginning February 1
January 19, 2018OSHA reminds employers of their obligation to post a copy of OSHA’s Form 300A, which summarizes job-related injuries and illnesses logged during 2017.
Each year, between Feb. 1 and April 30, the summary must be displayed in a common area where notices to employees are usually posted.
Businesses with 10 or fewer employees and those in certain low-hazard industries are exempt from OSHA recordkeeping and posting requirements.
Visit OSHA’s Recordkeeping Rule web page for more information on recordkeeping requirements. Also login to My OMA to view our January 11 recorded webinar, New to OSHA Recordkeeping? 1/18/2018
OSHA Raises Penalty Amounts for 2018
January 19, 2018From OSHA: “On Jan. 2, civil penalty amounts for violations of workplace safety and health standards increased by two percent from last year. In accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, the Department of Labor is required to adjust penalties for inflation each year. New penalties for willful and repeat violations are $129,336 per violation; serious, other-than-serious, and posting requirements are $12,934 per violation; and failure to correct violations is $12,934 for each day the condition continues.” 1/18/2018
House Introduces Group Self-Insurance Bill
January 19, 2018Last week Rep. Mike Henne (R-Clayton) introduced yet another workers’ compensation bill, this time legislation (HB 459) that would permit groups of employers to be granted self-insurance status for the purposes of Ohio’s workers’ compensation laws.
While big on ambition the bill is short on details. The bill kicks the can to the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation to develop how the program would work.
OMA will report on developments of this bill and all matters safety and workers’ compensation important to manufacturers at its upcoming Safety & Workers’ Compensation Committee meeting on February 13. Register here. 1/18/2018
Worker Deaths Rose Nationwide in 2016
January 19, 2018Last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2016, which reports 5,190 workplace fatalities in 2016 — a 7% increase from 2015. The fatal injury rate also increased from 3.4 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2015 to 3.6 in 2016.
More workers lost their lives in transportation incidents than any other event in 2016, accounting for about two out of every five fatal injuries. Workplace violence injuries increased by 23%, making it the second most common cause of workplace fatality. The report also shows the number of overdoses on the job increased by 32% in 2016.
To help support safe workplaces, OMA offers monthly safety webinars. Here’s the 2018 schedule. 1/18/2018
Registration is Open for Ohio Safety Congress, March 7-9
January 12, 2018
The Ohio Safety Congress & Expo is the largest regional safety and health conference in the U.S. and will run March 7-9 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
More than 7,000 Ohio employers and workers attend Safety Congress, which features 200 educational sessions presented by experts from across the country covering topics related to injury and illness prevention, rehabilitation, return-to-work and cost savings.
An expo marketplace will also host more than 200 exhibitors. Please stop and say hi to us at booth #644!
Attendance is free for Ohio employers and their employees. 1/9/2018
BWC’s January Webinar for Employers
January 12, 2018The BWC webinar on Thursday, January 25 at 11:30 a.m. provides information about what it means to certify a claim, Other States Coverage, the Ohio Safety Congress & Expo 2018, important dates and deadlines for private and public employers, and the monthly safety tip.
Learn more and register here. 1/5/2018