Eggs and Answers10: Worker's Compensation
Thank you to all those who attended our 10th Eggs and Answers Breakfast. Our speakers focused on ways to control Worker's Compensation costs and losses. Mr. Charlie Brown, an attorney who specializes in Worker's Comp, moderated the event and was supported by a panel which included Cathie Zacherl, a Nurse Case Manager from Clarion Hospital, Tom Delong, a consultant from OSHA and Ron Lucarelli, a Loss Control Consultant from Highmark Casualty Insurance.
Mr. Brown opened with remarks about how much the Worker's Compensation system has changed due to reforms made in the 1980s. Maximum payment caps for injured workers have risen dramatically in the last twenty years, making Worker's Comp costs an area of concern for many businesses.
There are ways for companies to control their costs and losses from Worker's Compensation, including taking advantage of a 5% discount on WC rates when a Safety Committee is implemented and/or engaging the free OSHA consulting and advanced safety programs available through IUP. Also, maintaining good relationships with employees and management, as well as fostering a team environment with a workplace are low-cost options for improving safety and minimizing WC losses.
In the event that an employee is injured and eligible for Worker's Compensation, a Nurse Case Manager can serve as a liaison between the doctor, the company and the patient. Among other things, his or her involvement in the case can help to determine what types of modified duty an employee is safely capable of. All of the panel members agree that getting an employee back to the workplace as soon as possible is key to a successful close of the case.
A follow-up seminar is being planned to delve deeper into the specifics of the Worker's Compensation system, and Mr. Charlie Brown will present again with assistance from a partner specializing in employment law. The date and time for this event is To Be Announced.
If you have any questions or would like to contact one of the panelists, please contact the Economic Development Corporation.
Last Updated: March 07, 2007
