Safety Matters: How to Create Effective Workers’ Comp Safety Programs

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private employers in 2021 (the most recent year for which statistics are available). While that marks a 1.8% decrease from 2020, that still includes almost 5,200 work-related deaths. Here are a few additional eye-opening statistics for employers:

Slips, trips, and falls accounted for over 80% of all non-fatal workplace injuries.

Overexertion and contact with objects and equipment also top the list.

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Workplace accidents and injuries cost American businesses over $250 billion each year.

The construction industry is the most at risk for accidents, but manufacturing, nursing, agriculture, and food service also rank highly.

Clearly, there is work to be done to make America safer for workers.

The good news is that workers’ comp safety programs help create safer workplaces and can dramatically reduce the chance of both fatal and non-fatal workplace accidents, injuries, and diseases. But here’s the catch – you’ll need to create and then implement your own safety and risk management program for workers’ comp.

Before Anything Else, Purchase Workers’ Comp Coverage

Long before designing workers’ comp safety programs, business owners must purchase workers’ comp insurance. Most states require businesses with employees to carry workers’ comp coverage. However, the situation varies considerably from state to state. 

Some require businesses with any employees to purchase insurance, while others stipulate that you must have four or even five employees before coverage becomes mandatory. The situation also varies by industry. 

For instance, anyone involved in the construction industry in Florida must carry workers’ compensation insurance, but most other businesses do not have to carry coverage unless they have multiple employees. 

That said, every business owner should consider it, whether you employ dozens of people or you’re a freelancer or subcontractor. 

Why You Need Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Carrying workers’ comp insurance isn’t just about satisfying your legal obligations. It’s about protecting them from harm while also safeguarding your business against the legal ramifications of workplace injuries, including:

• Legal fees
• Settlements
• Attorney fees
• Civil and criminal charges
• Fines
• Inability to conduct business

As you can see, workers’ compensation insurance is vital, but workplace accident prevention is even more important. That’s where workers’ comp safety programs come in. 

Creating a Safety Program for Workers’ Comp

Safety net programs and workers’ comp work hand in hand to protect employees and your business. A robust program, correctly implemented, will make your workplace safer through training, inspections, removal of hazards, and more. It may also lower your insurance premiums. But how do you create one? 

Make Safety a Core Value

First, make sure safety is one of your organization’s core values. It should be baked into your culture, the way you interact with your employees, and more. 

View safety the same way you do all other business metrics, from sales to customer satisfaction, and empower your employees to do the right thing and avoid cutting corners.

Lead by Example

Second, make sure you’re leading by example. You must embody what you want your employees to do. That means being safety conscious in all that you do, as well as being observant about hazards in the workplace. It goes beyond your own actions, however. 

Make sure that you assign roles and responsibilities for achieving success with your safety program. Think beyond management or safety team members, too. 

Ultimately, everyone in the organization should have a role in setting expectations, and they should have a clearly assigned role and clarified responsibilities, as well as the resources necessary to fulfill their obligations. Ultimately, everyone will have an ownership stake in the safety program.

Create and Implement a Reporting System

Managers, safety team members, and others must have a way to report incidents, accidents, and hazards. In many places, your employees are the most knowledgeable about the equipment and systems they use regularly. They’re best positioned to spot potential safety issues, as well as dangerous situations involving others. 

However, because of fear of reprisal or scorn, they may be hesitant to say anything. 

A good reporting system offers an anonymous way for employees to report hazards without fear of blowback, encourages them to be active in voicing concerns, and ensures that you’re able to promptly follow up on the information they provide before someone gets hurt. 

Your process can be analog (think suggestion boxes and anonymous tickets) or digital (anonymous comments on an intranet page). 

Next, make sure that all employees understand how the system works and can use it. Finally, make sure that managers understand how critical it is to monitor the system and respond promptly.

Provide Training

Perhaps the most critical step in successful workers’ comp safety programs is providing training. Everyone within the organization, from the owner down, should complete safety training. That training must also be documented so it can be referred to in the future. 

Your safety training can take many forms, but no matter what, it should focus on several key areas:

• Physical hazards, like slip, trip, and fall hazards.
• Work process hazards, such as incorrect lifting
• Chemical hazards, such as cleaning chemicals
• Job analysis to identify hazards inherent in workplace processes and determine workarounds
• A complete review of work practices and administrative controls
• A complete review of personal protective equipment (PPE) used and why it is important for safety

Of course, your training must be fit for purpose. That means your employees must be able to access it, as well as understand and retain the information they learn. 

Depending on your business and the makeup of your workforce, you may need to offer training in multiple languages and use pictures, graphics, and animated/video content to further illustrate the points you make. 

Inspect, Inspect, Inspect

A firm understanding of safety protocols and principles is essential to success here, but none of that means anything if you don’t put this training into action. You must regularly inspect all areas of your business for potential safety hazards. This can and should include the following:

• Machinery/equipment
• Warehouses/storerooms
• Chemical closets and storage areas
• All work areas, from cash wraps to sales floors
• Sidewalks, walkways, and parking lots
• Breakrooms

Don’t limit your inspections to physical hazards, though. You also need to inspect to make sure that workers are following safety guidelines in terms of their duties/work processes, wearing PPE, and more.

Ask for Hazard Control Ideas

Successful workers comp safety programs have one thing in common: they tap into your pool of employees and managers to source hazard control ideas. You can incorporate this into your strategy in a couple of ways. 

For instance, you can allow employees who report hazards to suggest solutions/control ideas at the same time. You could also solicit feedback once hazards have been identified to draw from a larger pool of suggestions. 

Implement Hazard Controls

After you’ve collected hazard control ideas, analyze them to determine the best fit and then implement them. This could range from simple steps like requiring all warehouse employees to always wear back braces to more in-depth steps like retrofitting plumbing to repair a leak that causes a slip/fall hazard.

Rinse and Repeat

Workers’ comp safety programs are not one-and-done things. Hazards can develop at any time and the only defense is vigilance. It’s critical that your team understands their role in workplace safety and is willing and able to communicate hazards and concerns as they arise. 

However, it’s also important to understand that no amount of reporting can entirely eliminate the risk of accidents and emergencies. Be prepared to respond immediately when an employee is hurt on the job.

Finding Workers’ Comp Insurance: An Essential Step for Safety

Workers’ comp safety programs are designed to work in tandem with other things, like your workers’ comp insurance policy and a return-to-work program. 

Of course, it can be challenging to find workers’ comp insurance in the first place, particularly if you’re involved in a high-risk industry. That’s compounded by the fact that not all insurance carriers offer workers’ comp, and those that do must follow underwriter guidelines and may not be willing to take on the risk your business represents. 

At Kickstand Insurance, we help businesses across all industries find the insurance they need. Just provide us with a few pieces of basic information and we’ll start the process. One of our experts will explore your business information to identify ways to provide coverage while cutting costs. 

Ready to get started? It takes just five minutes. 

In addition to our ability to save you money, you can reduce workers’ comp cost with a safety program that helps identify and eliminate threats and hazards in the workplace. Don’t neglect this business essential – whether you’re a business owner, a contractor, a freelancer, or a subcontractor, nothing provides the peace of mind and protection that a customized workers’ compensation policy does.