“A lot of companies do things right, but an award-winning program does them all.” Those are the words of the disability manager for a company with one such program. Learn the secrets of their success.
Integrated Disability Manager Lloyd Hudson explains that employees at his company, American Electric Power (AEP), work in risky jobs and face diverse hazards.
"When a claim comes through, we aren’t as worried about how they’re getting paid but about how we’re going to get them back to work," says Hudson. "We find that most employees have legitimate injuries and want to come back, but they need guidance. Our center helps expedite things if we can, and we work with supervisors to develop return-to-work plans and answer questions."
An injured employee is promptly contacted by a telephone case specialist who is the main contact throughout the recovery and return-to-work process. The specialist stays in touch with the injured employee’s supervisor, gathers needed medical information, and communicates with the physician, if necessary.
Try OSHA Accident Case Studies and give a boost to your safety training program with real-life case studies of actual industrial accidents from OSHA files. We have a great one on lifting. Get the details.
It Works!
These and other practices have helped cut AEP’s workers’ comp costs by half over the past 12 years. And the program is consistently rated high in employee surveys.
Hudson has identified 11 factors that he considers essential for successful workers’ comp outcome:
- Strong, active case management
- Vocational rehabilitation and training
- A proactive return-to-work program
- Cost containment and coordination by monitoring various programs
- Long-term success ("Anybody can get lucky once")
- An aggressive safety program
- Strong management support
- Compassion for employees
- Creativity
- Corporate responsibility, including sharing best practices
- Vendor management
Hudson also credits the "one-stop shop" provided by the AEP recovery center for the program’s success. And he points to constant and on-going communication as another important factor in reducing comp costs.
And like Sam Friedman of Deloitte Research (see yesterday’s Advisor), Hudson emphasizes that the "easiest and most efficient way to prevent workers’ compensation cases is through safety and prevention." To that end, the disability department partners with safety and risk management operations.
Even your most skeptical workers will see what can go wrong and become safety-minded employees with OSHA Accident Case Studies. They’ll learn valuable safety training lessons from real mistakes—but in classroom training meetings instead of on your shop floor. Get more info.
Get Your Workers Thinking Safety
Preventing workplace accidents and reducing workers’ comp costs begins with understanding what causes accidents. That’s where BLR’s OSHA Accident Case Studies can help.
Animated, customizable PowerPoint slides tell real-life case studies of actual industrial accidents from OSHA files, complete with accident photos to get workers’ attention and make your safety meetings come alive.
OSHA Accident Case Studies includes 25 meetings on all key safety topics.
You get:
- Customizable visuals and text
- Fast moving, animated PowerPoint presentations
- Detailed speaker’s notes for every slide
- Printable handouts, quizzes, and slides for each topic
- Interactive exercises and questions
Even your most skeptical workers will see what can go wrong and become safety-minded employees. They’ll learn valuable safety training lessons from real mistakes—but in classroom training meetings instead of on your shop floor.
Safety topics include:
- Back safety
- Power tools
- Hazard communication
- Lockout/tagout
- Fire safety
- Hearing protection
- Confined spaces
- Trenching and excavation
- HAZWOPER
- Ergonomics
- And more!
We’ll be happy to make OSHA Accident Case Studies available for a no-cost, no-obligation, 30-day evaluation in your office. Just let us know, and we’ll be pleased to arrange it.