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The cornerstone of long-term loss reduction begins with a comprehensive, practiced Safety Program. Synergy will assist your organization with the development and implementation of a model program. The items below describe the Best Practices inherent in a Model Safety Program:
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A formalized Early Return-to-Work (ERTW) program. By returning employees to a modified duty positions as soon as possible, they will feel valued and their morale will be sustained through the healing process. An effective ERTW program is also a cost control mechanism. Claim costs increase as the length of time out work for an injured employee increases. This increases the likelihood that an injured employee will remain out of work. Refer to our for additional information. |
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Report any workplace injury to the Workers’ Compensation carrier the same day. Maintaining a good rapport with your Claims Adjuster will assist in controlling claims costs. |
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Accompany injured employees to the treating physician. Discuss what modified duty options are available with the physician or a member of the treating physician’s staff. |
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Implement a comprehensive drug testing program. This includes: Pre-employment, For-Cause, Random, and Post-Accident Drug Testing. Refer to our page for additional information. |
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Thoroughly investigate all accidents and near misses. Require the injured employee to participate in an Accident Review Committee or Safety Committee to determine root causes and corrective actions. Refer to our page for additional information. |
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Track all loss data. Require managers or supervisors to respond or offer solutions to upper management if their department has a higher loss history. Make changes to reduce the chance of accident recurrence. |
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Audit safety activities. Many times these activities do not receive any attention and may become ineffective. A good example is to conduct an audit of lockout tagout procedures. Many times employees take short cuts and eliminate necessary steps. Numerous fatalities involve the accidental startup of machinery due to employee error. |
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Conduct safety observations of employee behaviors. 90% of injuries are caused by employees failing to use safe work practices. Provide feedback, both positive and negative, during these documented observations. |
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Implement a 5-S program or Lean Manufacturing principles. These principles go hand-in-hand with safe work practices. Companies using these principles have enjoyed cleaner and safer production areas and have reduced their losses. In many places, they also reduce the amount of movements necessary to complete a job task. In addition, these principles increase employee involvement. Many of the improvements result from employee suggestions. This increases employee involvement and the likelihood of “buy-in” to these changes. |
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Request a voluntary OSHA inspection. Many companies have welcomed OSHA into their facilities to proactively control workplace hazards. Visit our page for additional information on OSHA compliance. |
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