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Ohio Workers' Comp Expands Safety Training Options
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Directors of the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation have given employers participating in the Group Experience and Group Retrospective Rating programs more options to improve workplace safety. The change allows employers who have had a workplace injury to satisfy some safety training requirements by completing an accident analysis and related safety training.
"By better understanding the circumstances that led to an accident, an employer is better able to take appropriate action to prevent similar injuries," said Steve Buehrer, BWC administrator/CEO. "The online analysis and training will guide employers in conducting a post-accident assessment so they can quickly and thoroughly respond to injuries. BWC can then use the data to better identify statewide trends and design loss prevention programs that meet the needs of Ohio employers."
Currently, group employers who experience a claim are required to take two hours of safety training. The change gives employers the option to instead complete an online accident analysis form and the associated online safety class offered by the bureau. The accident analysis and class will help employers identify injury trends and determine the root cause of the accident so they can better address safety issues and prevent future injuries. Employers continue to have the option of attending the two-hour training, Buehrer said.
Training requirements also have been modified for employers who sustain claims outside of the green year. These employers are no longer subject to the safety training or accident analysis. The green year is the period when a claim exists before it’s entered in employer's experience.
Group-rating sponsors and third-party administrators will report to the bureau the employers who complete the accident analysis forms and classes. That information will be used to determine if the training and form submission are meeting the objectives of reducing the frequency and severity of claims among the members of group, the BWC says.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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