Safety on the job is an observed motto in every work environment. It applies to every industry whether there’s a lot of heavy machinery, service stations, outdoor settings, and so forth. No matter if it’s a simple desk job or a business’ duties require a construction helmet on site, the safety of a business’ employees is taken seriously as to avoid any liabilities and to create a safe and comfortable work environment for employees as a whole. As we know though, sometimes accidents can happen, and when they do occur, someone is held responsible.
For businesses, workers' compensation insurance does not have to be a business enemy or something to worry about. It simply takes on a business’s statutory obligations for the injury or illness incurred by employees in the workplace if they are held liable. The support and closure wrought by most workers' compensation claims has also come to satisfy a business’s social responsibility to its workers as well. So, in the end, enforcing safety measures and seeing workers' compensation being utilized when accidents occur can really give the business a reputation for respecting their employees and taking accountability while the employees feel like their employer cares about their safety and well-being.
However, accidents on the job can still be expensive and create costs for both the business and its injured employee. Workers compensation insurance premiums present a significant expense to employers as does the share of claims against the corporation. Additional costs arise from the business’s precautions to manage the risk of injury and illness. So, any way a business can reduce its potential liability is a bargain. Here are some way our law offices of Darwin Johnson specialize in workers' compensation cases. So we suggest businesses take precautions to avoid any accidents on site:
Educate & Train
When bringing on any new employees, reading through safety guidelines and helping them understand the purpose and process of approaching workers' compensation is essential, but it’s not quite same as actually training them. Regular and broadcast communication can make workplace safety everyone’s problem and advantage. Getting hands on and walking through ways the company takes safety measures is highly recommended to avoid future accidents. Instructing employees in specific behaviors related to specific machines, procedures, and facilities makes a difference in outcomes. For example, the correct handling of hazardous materials or the operation of machines goes a long way to reducing risk in those jobs.
Investigate Immediately
No insurance claim gets better with age. If there is nothing interfering with the employee’s care, insurance claims should be reported as soon as possible. There is no loss in inviting employees and supervisors to report incidents fully and immediately.
Response Plan
Organizing and training teams and departments into claims response protocols saves time and reinforces the company’s good faith efforts to resolve claims and correct conditions for future problems. Workers compensation insurance claims are often exacerbated by the employee’s feeling that the company has been inattentive and lacking towards responsiveness.
Signs & Equipment
Every risk area, hazardous material exposure, or machine related procedure deserves clear explanatory and warning signs. Injuries occur on carpets as well as slippery floors, with office machines as well as heavier manufacturing machines, and in walkways as well as vehicles. One of the best and most reliable sources of information, responsive measures, and solutions are the employees who work under risk. Display accident prevention signs out in clear view and show employees where to reference in case they are involved or happen to witness an accident. OSHA provides workplace posters for every type of business to display for the reference of their employees. They’re meant to recognize and prevent accidents from happening as well as inform employees of liability and their rights as workers.
Workplace injuries are not just slip and falls anymore. They are water borne and air borne. Claims are not generally fraudulent, and they deserve the attention, response, and care of corporate leadership.
A no-fear, team-oriented corporate culture when preventing accidents encourages employees to come forward without hesitation in reporting workers' compensation claims. But, it also fosters an attention to the safety and corrective responses that avoid workplace injury and illness. Every job and occasion at work contains some degree of potential risk. So we hope businesses take our advice and nurture the idea of creating a work place with awareness, preparedness, and responsiveness will help reinforce the safety of their work environment for the benefit of their employees and future of their company.
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