Are you trying to figure out how to lower your company’s workers’ compensation costs? If otherwise, are you aware of the significant risk that employees’ insurance claims can bring to your company, and should you have a strategy in place to deal with them if they arise?
In the end, on-the-job accidents range from minor muscular strains to much more serious, long-term problems. As a company owner, how well you prepare for these events might decide the success or failure of your company.
You’re probably aware of the direct expenses of workers’ comp insurance payments, but you might not have weighed the future costs of on-the-job injuries and accidents.
Training substitute staff may be needed, changing work schedules, investigating incidents, and putting remedial procedures in place. You might lose production, be forced to replace broken machinery and materials, and deal with low staff morale and unavailability.
You may utilize a platform to assess the direct and indirect expenses of workers’ compensation for an eye-opening insight into how much is workers comp insurance for your company. You’ll discover how much accidents and injuries may cost your business, from a minor muscular strain to a more severe concussion.
That’s why keeping your workers’ compensation expenditures under control is so crucial to your company. Here are three ideas to assist you in getting started:
1. Create A Safety Plan.
First and foremost, you need to realize that many injuries may be avoided before they actually happen. A safety program can assist you in identifying and eliminating workplace dangers that could lead to accidents. Such initiatives have a well-established return on investment.
According to several studies, businesses receive a $2 to $6 payback on every dollar spent on accident prevention. This high average return might indicate why several U.S. governments, such as California, mandate that firms maintain a documented safety program. Writing down your organization’s safety standards and procedures shows the employees that you care about their well-being. Here’s how:
2. Creating A Safety Program.
Getting your safety program off the ground may seem like an overwhelming task, but with a few simple guidelines, it really is simple.
1. Management Support.
No matter how great your safety program is, it won’t work without the support of management. Make sure all managers understand why reducing workers’ comp costs is important for their department and the company as a whole.
2. Safety Training.
Don’t just hire someone to do a day-long safety meeting once a year. Ongoing training is critical to keep employees safe and reduce injuries.
3. Safety Equipment.
Safety equipment should be provided to all employees who need it, and it should be used every time they are on the job.
3. Return-To-Work Plan.
Even if you have a good safety protocol in place, accidents can still happen. However, if and when they happen, a return-to-work strategy can save money on the workers’ monetary damages.
In some cases, the longer a workers’ compensation claim is open, the more expensive it becomes. When wounded workers come back to work afterward, for example, the demand must include additional replacement income.
A return-to-work program’s purpose is to enable injured workers to return to work as soon as possible, even if just on a limited basis while they heal. Encouraging a worker to perform a portion or light-duty hours, in coordination with the employee’s medical provider, is one example.
For that reason, employing some of the most effective return-to-work programs can save your company a significant amount of money in the long run. It can allow you to keep working relationships with wounded personnel intact and avoid alienation on both parties during a protracted absence. Early return to work also dramatically reduces the likelihood of the employee never returning.
Participate In A PEO.
Lastly, engaging a professional employer organization (PEO) could assist you in managing workers’ compensation expenditures and claims, as well as navigating your company’s safety concerns. As a matter of fact, PEO can assist you in the following ways:
- Choose the level of coverage for your workers’ compensation plan. Implementing affordable plans with insurance carriers can help a PEO lower its workers’ compensation rates.
- Evaluate your workplace’s safety and create a safety program to assist avoid injuries.
- When claims arise, quickly resolve them. Maintain relationships with damaged personnel.
- Develop a return-to-work program that boosts employee morale while also lowering the time and cost of workers’ compensation claims.
When these measures are combined, they can have a significant impact on workers’ compensation and the additional, indirect expenses of occupational injury.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to your business, it’s important to think about the cost of doing business. It’s sometimes easier to put off thinking about insurance premiums until the end-of-year tax accountants are looking at them, but that means you’re not collecting information or data you can use to see trends or assess risk before it hits. By having a reasonable strategy in place, you’ll be able to handle workers’ comp claims easily and efficiently, which will help keep your costs low as well.
