If an employee is away, restricted or transferred for an extended period of time, follow these guidelines for completing the OSHA 300 form:
- Enter an estimate of the days the employee will be away.
- Begin counting days on the day after the injury occurred or the illness began, and update this number when you know the actual number of days.
- The count of days away from work ends on the date the physician or other licensed health care professional recommends that the employee return to work, whether or not the employee returns earlier or later than that date.
- When there is no physician recommendation, enter the actual number of days the employee is off work.
- Include weekend days, holidays, vacation days or other days off in the number of days recorded if the employee would not have been able to work on those days due to a work-related injury or illness.
- When the number of calendar days away from work or days of job transfer or restriction is greater than 180, enter 180 in the “Total Days Away” column.
- If an employee leaves the company for a reason unrelated to the injury or illness, stop counting days away from work or restriction/job transfer.
- If an employee leaves the company because of the injury or illness, estimate the total number of days away or days of restriction/job transfer and enter that estimate.
- Log the number of days away only on the 300 Log for the year in which the incident occurred.
- If the employee is still away from work because of the injury or illness when you prepare the annual summary, estimate the total number of calendar days you expect the employee to be away from work, use this number to calculate the total for the annual summary and then update the initial log entry later when the day count is known or reaches the 180-day cap.
- Never split the number of days between years and enter two amounts for two different years. Only record each injury or illness once.
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A resurgent construction industry needs to do a better job of keeping workers safe. That’s the bottom line of a recent report by Marsh Risk Consulting.
Based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the study, “Building Safety and Leadership in the Construction Industry,” notes that the industry’s 2012 fatality rate increased to 9.5 per 100,000 workers from 9.1 per 100,000 in 2011. The 775 construction-sector deaths in 2012 marks the first annual increase in work-related fatalities since 2006.
According to Marsh, fatalities will probably continue to rise without concerted industry-wide safety improvements, as an ongoing shortage of experienced construction workers leads to widespread promotion of unskilled workers into supervisory roles. “The increase in new construction activity is bringing an influx of new, inexperienced workers,” states the report. “In this environment, some contractors are stretching their hiring standards to meet project demands.”
Marsh recommends that construction firms focus on training management to ensure effective leadership and help build a culture of safety throughout their organizations.
“As the economy grows and the number of new construction projects picks up, now is not the time to be lax on safety,” warns John Moore, a construction safety specialist in Marsh’s workforce strategies practice. “Inadequate safety performance can lead to employee turnover and legal, financial and reputational risks. Investing in high-quality leadership will go a long way toward retaining valued workers and maintaining a safe work environment.”
The more you do to keep your workers, safe, the better for all concerned– and the lower your insurance costs. We stand ready to offer our advice on developing, implementing, and enforcing workplace safety standards. Just give us a call.
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It’s frustrating when you suspect that a Workers Compensation claimant is milking the system. However, you can reduce potential malingering significantly if you attend to it from the get-go.
Start by designating a manger as the “firm’s rep,” to ensure that any employee who makes a Comp claim gets a doctor promptly and to inform your insurance company immediately. The rep should transport the employee to the physician, stay at the office during the examination and treatment, and then take him or her home or back to work.
While at the doctor’s office, the firm’s rep should ask the physician about the medical condition, recommended treatment, and a reasonable return-to-work date. If the claimant or physician objects, the rep should assure them that he or she will work with the insurance company to make sure all reasonable and necessary benefits and medical bills are paid.
Resist any employee excuses for not seeing a doctor. If the employee has an attorney, suggest getting a second opinion (which you will provide at no cost). If the claimant already has a doctor, have the firm rep offer to take him or her for a consultation– and ask about diagnosis, treatment, and return-to-work status.
The rep should then: 1) follow up with the employee at least every two weeks – and more often if possible – face to face or by phone; and 2) stay in touch with the claims adjuster to share information about visits with the doctor and claimant that might help him or her return to work as early as possible.
Although these techniques won’t always work, anecdotal evidence suggests that they can reduce malingering claims by up to 70%.
What’s not to like?
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As people retire later, the workforce keeps aging. This trend has been a concern for businesses because the conventional wisdom holds that older workers are more vulnerable to costly injuries, driving up Workers Comp rates.
However, new research from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) casts doubt on this conclusion, changing the definition of “older workers.”
After studying injury rates for different age groups, NCCI found that, while workers under 35 had substantially more cuts on their fingers and those over 35 suffered more cases of carpal tunnel and cervical injuries, the numbers are startlingly similar.
What about expense? NCCI concluded that although workers between 20 and 34 create much lower costs (and fewer days lost), once they reach 35 these costs are similar. This redefines an “older worker” as someone who grew up listening to Nirvana instead of Elvis.
Injury prevention for employees – regardless of age –should begin during the hiring process. Once you have a written job description, offer the candidate the job based on his or her ability to do the work with reasonable accommodation. Then have the candidate complete a medical questionnaire to determine if he or she “fits” position. If so, it’s time to get started. If not, to find someone else.
If you haven’t already done so, set up and monitor a comprehensive safety-training program for new hires, Make sure that they remain mindful of how they’re doing their job. Far more injuries result from unsafe acts by employees than unsafe workplace conditions Employees who feel rushed are more likely to ignore safety aside so they can meet deadlines – leading to preventable accidents.
To learn more about keeping your workers safe on the job, feel free to get in touch with us.
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Smaller companies tend to be more vulnerable than Fortune 500 corporations to theft by employees.
According to John Warren, general counsel for the U.S. Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (USACFA), losses from internal theft are disproportionately high among small businesses. A nationwide USACFA review of more than 1,100 fraud cases found that the median loss in organizations with fewer than 100 employees came to $190,000 – more than half again as much as the $120,000 loss among companies with 1,000 to 9,999 employees.
Check tampering was the most common scam uncovered by the survey, followed by skimming (the theft of unrecorded sales), faked billing, and phony expense reimbursements.
One reason why small companies take a bigger hit is because employee theft is often hard to detect and can last over several years. Most perpetrators aren’t hardened criminals, but rather longtime, trusted workers who have risen through the ranks. “It’s startling how many times people will say, ‘I’ve known this person for 10 years, they babysat my kids,’ ” says the USACFA’s Warren, ” ‘Out of all of my employees, I would have never guessed this.’ ”
Embezzlement usually starts small and then escalates, often triggered by money problems facing the worker. Says one expert, “Any time you have an employee who has financial difficulties, you have the makings of a problem.”
their vulnerability, many small businesses don’t take basic steps to deter employee theft. “There’s a reluctance to think about this, compared to larger companies,” notes Rich Simitian, Southern California managing partner for accounting firm Grant Thornton. “The attitude is, ‘I’ve got too many other things to think about as a business owner.’ ”
We’d be happy to recommend precautions that can help you deter fraud internal fraud.
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Following these principles of leadership will help you and your employees focus on job safety:
- Don’t walk by. It is everyone’s responsibility to prevent any potentially unsafe acts and conditions they witness from turning into accidents.
- STOP! Encourage employees to stop working whenever they feel unsafe, no matter what reason they give.
- Focus on a safe working environment. If you expect your workers to work safely, make their workplace as safe as possible.
- Don’t blame the worker first. Unsafe ways of working, accidents, incidents, and ill health aren’t necessarily the worker’s fault. The problem often comes from less obvious causes, such as decisions by management.
- Use your workforce for ideas. Employees often have a more accurate idea than you or your managers about which safety and health practices will work, because they deal with these issues every day.
- Be patient. Don’t expect quick wins. Improvements will emerge over time, but only if you stick with them.
- Explain your decisions. Just telling workers that something is wrong or a safety risk isn’t enough. If they’re to act on the information you provide, they need to know why and how to avoid harm.
- Lead by example. Your behavior sends powerful signals. If you carry out your job in a safe way, your workers are more likely to do the same. If you don’t, they won’t imitate you.
- Focus on co-operation. Treat your subcontractors in the same way as employees by encouraging them to communicate with each other.
- Don’t neglect occupational health. If you look after the health, as well as the safety, of your workers today, you’re less likely to create problems for them or your business tomorrow.
Sound advice!
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