News and Analysis
OSHA Injury Reporting Deadline (and Extension)
March 19, 2021OSHA says employers can still submit the required 2020 injury and illness data (Form 300A) beyond the March 2 deadline. You must electronically submit the data if you are required to do so. For employer FAQs regarding injury tracking requirements, click here. 3/17/2021
OMA Safety & Workers’ Comp Committee Meets March 17
March 12, 2021The OMA will hold its Safety & Workers’ Compensation Committee meeting on Wednesday, March 17 from 10 a.m. until noon. Special guest will be Ohio BWC Interim Administrator/CEO John Logue. OMA members can register here. 3/11/2021
BWC Offers Sample Written Safety Program Templates
March 12, 2021The BWC’s Division of Safety and Hygiene (DSH) has created sample written safety program templates for employers to download and customize to their operations. Each template is laid out identically, with information on how to use the template. For free assistance in creating and reviewing workplace safety policies, employers can visit DSH’s website or call 800-644-6292. 3/8/2021
Declaring a Drug Test Positive: Who Has the Final Say on Medical Marijuana?
March 12, 2021When it comes to drug testing for marijuana, the proliferation (and variance) of medical marijuana laws has complicated the picture for employers. This update from OMA Connections Partner Working Partners® provides federal testing protocols that are considered best practice for drug testing, as well as a three-step protocol that employers should adopt. 3/11/2021
BWC Board Votes to Reduce Premiums (Again)
March 5, 2021ICYMI, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) board has approved a net 7.1% reduction in private employer rates and assessments. As a result, employers will pay $71.5 million less in premiums next policy year, which begins July 1. (The actual premium paid by individual employers depends on several factors, including the expected future claims costs in their industry, recent claims, and participation in various BWC programs.) This marks the fourth consecutive rate reduction for private employers since 2018 and the twelfth since 2008. 3/1/2021
OMA’s Augsburger Appointed to Industrial Commission Nominating Council
March 5, 2021OMA President Ryan Augsburger has been appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine to Ohio’s Industrial Commission Nominating Council. The council is charged with two separate and distinct functions and objectives: to review candidates for vacancies on the three-member Industrial Commission and submit qualified candidates to the governor; and to appoint a chief ombud’s officer while annually reviewing the activities of the ombud’s office. 3/4/2021
BWC Getting Employers Ready for Payroll True-up
March 5, 2021The BWC is preparing to send this email to all private employers to encourage them to review their estimated payroll used to calculate their policy year 2020 estimated premium. The notice will include instructions on how to view this information online. With the potential for COVID-19-related fluctuation in actual payroll compared to the amount estimated last year, the BWC wants employers to be prepared for the possibility of a debit or credit billing when they true-up starting in July 2020. 3/5/2021
Deadline Approaching for BWC’s One-Claim, EM Cap Program
March 5, 2021March 31 is the deadline for employers participating in the BWC’s One-Claim Program (OCP) or EM Cap Program to complete required safety training for the July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021 policy year. Employers participating in the OCP can click here for more information. EM Cap participants can click here. You can register for online training classes here. 3/1/2021
BWC Safety Training for March
March 5, 2021The BWC offers free webinars on different safety and health topics each month, as well as virtual training. This month, webinar topics will cover confined spaces (March 9) and accident analysis (March 16 and 23). Learn more. 3/2/2021
Can Employees Get Workers’ Comp Benefits for Injuries While Traveling?
March 5, 2021In Ohio, the basic rule of workers’ compensation is that it covers injuries sustained both in the course of and arising out of an injured worker’s employment. But when an employee is injured in transit, the analysis is complicated. OMA Connections Partner Frantz Ward has published this insight to examine factors determining whether an employee’s travel-related injury has a connection to his/her employment. 3/2/2021