5 Ways to Lower Work Comp Costs that really work

Workers compensation injury claims drive insurance rates up. In fact, a claim filed today will affect the experience modification and premium rates for 3 years.

Too many people believe that on-the-job injuries just happen. They believe work comp claims are to be expected and with some luck, they won’t be too serious or costly.

Nothing is further from the truth. Every job has a way of being done 100% safely. Everyone has the right to go home in the same physical condition they were in when they arrived on the job earlier that day.

Are some claims fake or exaggerated? Do some people use “injury” as a way to justify time off work?

Yes. But all injuries (real, fake, exaggerated, or imagined) can be prevented.

Here are 5 ways to lower work comp costs that really work…

1. Zoom in on the right injury care. Sending someone with a surface cut to the emergency room is a waste of time and money. This injury deserves a more appropriate level of care. And not every injury is a work comp claim. Triage each incident for appropriate care. The result will enhance the employee experience, expedite healing and return to work, and minimize costs.

2. Train all managers for “zero-claim” results. Every job has a way of being done 100% safely. This is a workplace truth and the premise from which OSHA operates. And yet, most managers believe that “accidents just happen” and that injuries can be expected as a part of the job. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Managers and supervisors can be trained to eliminate injuries by making claim-free work comp decisions and more appropriately handling team member relationships.

3. Invest in a behavior-based safety incentive plan. A great incentive plan that really works is one that promotes proactive safety awareness, rewards safety compliance and recognizes safety success. Incentive plans that reward people for not making work comp claims when they are injured or that target an injured worker that has a lost time claim as a bad guy will ultimately cause work comp costs to go up. They are also frowned upon by OSHA.

4. Coach people to make training stick. Just like great athletes, employees need both training and coaching. Training, to fill information or skills gaps. Coaching, to change behaviors and individualize what is being learned. The training has to align with the need. The coaching must come alongside team members to guide them and help embed critical behaviors in how they work every day.

5. Achieve a zero-claims month. Take baby-steps when it comes to eliminating injury and reducing work comp costs. As zero-claim behaviors begin to take hold, aim for a more easily achieved goal, like a claim-free month, and celebrate when it happens!

We are here to help. CompZone™ delivers a complete and proven system to eliminate work-comp-injuries and reduce costs. And you don’t have to change insurance brokers.