Repeat Offenders: 10 of OSHA’s Most Frequently Cited Standards
If you, like most employers, put a great deal of time and effort into workplace safety to protect your workers, knowing where the most common risks lie is important. A quick review of 10 OSHA standards for which employers are most frequently cited will give you an idea of hazards that merit special attention in […]
3 Ways to Protect Your Trucking Fleet from Workers’ Comp Fraud
Controlling workers’ compensation costs is an ongoing challenge for businesses today, and trucking companies are no exception. Protecting your trucking fleet against workers’ comp fraud is an important part of that effort. Just how much of a problem is workers’ comp fraud? According to industry experts, a very significant one, with worker’s comp ranked among […]
What Determines Return to Work?: MD Assessment vs. PAT
Traditionally, return to work decisions after an injury or illness have been made by treating physicians. The question is: “What information do physicians typically use to make these decisions?” My observations over the years have lead me to believe that, most of the time, physicians are depending on medical data or information – such as […]
How to Reduce Workers’ Comp Costs for Physically Demanding Jobs
Controlling workers’ comp costs is a major concern for virtually all employers today, with just the medical costs associated with the average claim creeping towards $30,000 and projected to exceed that figure within the next several years. However, for employers who operate in industries that place heavier than average physical demands on workers, those costs […]
Laying Down the Law: EEOC and ADA Expectations for Return to Work
No employer wants to get on the wrong side of the EEOC and ADA, given the potential legal and financial consequences of running afoul of employment regulations. However, compliance is not always easy to define given the ambiguity present in some areas of these regulations. Expectations for return to work, for instance, are an area […]
Pre-Employment Physical Abilities Testing: The Devil’s in the Details
A Pre-hire Physical Ability Test (PAT) program works to ensure that workers you hire are well-matched in terms of physical capabilities to the everyday demands of the jobs into which they will be placed. The testing adds a new element of accuracy to the hiring process, reducing bad hires and employee turnover. PAT also increases […]
Caught in the Grip of Repetitive Trauma Injuries
Many employers struggle with repetitive trauma injuries to the hand, wrist, and elbow – along with their close cousins, carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis. Although the causes of these conditions are often multifactorial, occurring on – as well off – the job, some work-related activities are thought to contribute. Gauging Applicants’ Grip Strength High on the list of likely […]
How On-the-Job Injuries Affect Your Mod Rate
When you think of the costs associated with workplace injuries, the costs of workers’ compensation claims is likely the first thing that springs to mind. With medical costs of the average-sized claim alone, nudging up against the $30,000 mark, that’s certainly understandable. However, these costs, eye-opening as they are, do not tell the entire story. […]
Should You Look for the Skeletons in Your New Hire’s Closet?
Hiring new employees can be risky business, and hiring mistakes are costly. Aside from the cost of replacing a bad hire, which can, by some estimates, rise to as much as five times the person’s salary, a bad hiring decision can leave your company vulnerable to theft or violence, falsification of work histories, experience or […]
Hear No Evil: How to Protect Employees in a Noisy Workplace
Noise generally is not the first issue to spring to mind when the topic of designing an ergonomic workplace is being discussed. However, excessive noise can be a serious environmental hazard in the workplace, and is often identified as such in ergonomic assessments. Excessive noise is also an issue that is addressed by OSHA health […]
