Heavy machinery, high-pressure systems, and hazardous chemicals present significant safety risks on the manufacturing floor. In such a fast-paced environment, slips and falls are among the leading causes of manufacturing injuries, while repetitive tasks increase the likelihood of musculoskeletal injuries. For these reasons, Ohio manufacturers file a higher rate of workers’ compensation claims than those in other Ohio industries, driving up costs and negatively impacting productivity.
Environmental, health, and safety (EHS) leaders are tasked with mitigating these hazards. Prioritizing safety is essential not only for employee well-being and operational efficiency but also for controlling workers’ compensation costs. However, assessing risks, taking corrective actions, ensuring compliance with Ohio BWC codes, and tracking the workers’ compensation caseload can be overwhelming for a company’s EHS and HR departments.
Partnering with a third-party administrator (TPA) with expertise in Ohio’s BWC system can lighten this burden. An experienced TPA can develop risk management solutions tailored to your company's specific needs and streamline claim handling. This will result in reduced reportable injuries, lower workers’ compensation insurance premiums, reduced operational downtime, and a more productive work environment where employees will feel safe and valued.
Hazard Identification
All workplaces have a certain level of safety risk. Proactively identifying and mitigating hazards is critical for managing these risks. To identify hazards, the safety team should conduct a Job Hazard Analysis for each position in the company. This requires breaking down each job into smaller steps and identifying tasks and work areas that could cause injuries. These may be areas with moving equipment, hazardous chemicals, loud noises, or excessive heat.
OSHA recommends developing safety protocols using the Hierarchy of Controls, an inverted pyramid of risk management solutions that begins with the complete elimination of the hazard—for example, removing hazardous chemicals from the workplace. If this is not possible, the next step is substitution, i.e., replacing the hazardous material or equipment with a safer option.
Engineering and administrative controls examine how to protect workers from hazards through interventions like ventilation systems, soundproofing, and physical barriers and how to modify employee work procedures to improve workplace safety. At a minimum, the Hierarchy of Controls calls for the use of personal protective equipment, such as masks, safety glasses, and hard hats, which is a standard practice across industries.
Analysis of Past Incidents
Regularly reviewing prior injuries and accidents helps identify patterns, highlight areas of risk, and reveal issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. These reviews often point to work routines or procedures that create unnecessary hazards. With that insight, the EHS team can adjust the physical workspace, refine processes, and guide safer behaviors to help prevent future accidents and injuries.
Emergency Response Protocols
Proactive prevention requires employees to report every accident and near miss to ensure that risks are identified and mitigated. Employees should know that they can, and must, report injuries and accidents, without fear of reprimand or reprisal. Established emergency response procedures—step-by-step plans to take in the event of an accident—will facilitate this reporting. The protocols must cover the entire response, from first aid to follow-up. These procedures should specify the responsibilities of employees, their supervisors, and the safety team for each step of the process.
A “Safety Begins With Me” Culture
Employees are on the front line when it comes to creating a safe workplace. They need training on safety standards, including recognizing hazards and taking corrective actions. You should encourage your employees to take an active role in making their workplace safe by providing incentives to complete training, and ensure that when an accident occurs, there is no finger-pointing, which may lead employees to hide future incidents.
Adopting these risk management strategies will make your workplace safer, but implementing them can strain even large businesses' resources. This is where a TPA can make a difference.
An experienced Ohio TPA will work with your EHS Department to develop risk management solutions tailored to your organization's specific needs. They will have a thorough knowledge of BWC programs and can identify and recommend training opportunities available for your workers, supervisors, and management-level employees. They can also help you with workplace safety audits and help develop systems for standardizing maintenance schedules.
Even with rigorous safety programs in place, no workplace can be completely accident- and injury-free. This is where a TPA will ease the workload of your human resources personnel. They can manage claims efficiently, ensuring that BWC requirements and deadlines are met and that injured workers have the support that they need to recover and return to work as quickly as possible. Efficient claims management includes data collection to identify the root causes of a claim, enabling EHS leaders to take corrective actions to prevent future incidents.
By teaming up with Compensation Solutions, Inc. (CSI), you will bring more than a quarter-century of Ohio workers’ compensation experience into your business. CSI is respected industry-wide for its expertise in risk management and claims processing, so you can trust that your representative will have the expertise that you need to manage your workplace risks and workers' compensation costs. With CSI, you will have a dedicated representative who understands your business's specific needs and those of your employees. They will be your advocate with the Ohio BWC.
By choosing CSI’s specialized claims management services, Ohio manufacturers can achieve significant cost savings, streamline their claims processes, and enhance workplace safety initiatives. Our proactive approach and local expertise ensure that your organization stays compliant and well protected. Contact CSI today to learn how we can help you reduce workers' compensation costs and improve your overall safety program. Let us handle the complexities so you can focus on operational excellence.