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Workers' Compensation Tips For Employers
1. Make sure that all your employees are trained
properly for the job they are doing.
2. Make sure that the workplace is a
ergonomically safe as possible. Don't have an employee who is 4'11"
working in or on a workspace designed for someone 5'6". This is one
of the main areas where problems can occur.
3. Make sure all employees are
wearing proper equipment for the job. This includes not only those
employees doing heavy manual labor, but also those individuals who
are sitting at a desk and typing all day. Cumulative trauma,
especially Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, are the fastest growing area of
worker's compensation injuries.
When an
injury does happen, don't just ignore it. Handle the same way you
would handle the injury of a loved one or a family member. This
automatically sets up a feeling of caring between you and the
injured worker.
4. Keep up
the communication between you and your injured employee. Remember,
whether this employee is on site or not, he or she is costing you
money. The more you keep up the levels of communication, the better
the chance the employee will want to return to work sooner. This not
only saves you money, as in actual cash outlay, it also saves you
money in indirect costs (hiring someone to temporarily take over the
job, changing around shifts to accommodate workers absences, etc.).
5. In
keeping up communication, that also means to contact the doctor who
is treating the worker. This can definitely keep down costs as you
are more aware of what is going on with the worker and the doctor.
Not all doctors are saints. Some are just in it for the money so it
is your best interest to keep up the lines of communication. Also it
is important to have more than one "Company Doctor". You should have
not only the Emergency center, urgent care, etc., you should also
have other types of doctors. Not everyone responds to the same
person for every injury. Have a list of three or four different
types of doctors, chiropractors, medical doctors, acupuncturists,
etc. This gives the employee a chance to choose what kind and who he
may wish to see for his injury.
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