Why Workers’ Comp Claims Spike in the Summer

Workplace injury rates rise during the summer months. When summer rolls around, companies in many sectors, including agriculture and construction, significantly increase production.

Increased road construction raises risks for workers and drivers. Many of the newly hired workers are young and inexperienced, creating a high potential for workplace injuries.

Toiling in the sun is also a leading cause of weather-related injuries, including heatstroke, heat cramps and heat exhaustion. Heat illnesses occur when the body overheats to the point it cannot cool off, even with profuse sweating.

Young workers

Too often, young workers enter the workforce with little or no on-the-job safety training, heightening safety risks.

Recently, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries released a report showing that teens are twice as likely to be hurt on the job as adults.

In Washington state, a total of 547 youths aged 17 and under were injured in the workplace in 2014, up nearly 14.7% over the previous year. Of the total, 173 were in the food and hospitality industries. The next largest total, 80, was reported in both the retail trades and agriculture.

Falls to the floor increased 77%, to 55 cases, as the chief cause of injury.

Young workers, aged 14 to 24, have more accidents because they lack the knowledge, training, and experience to prevent them. Some common issues employers encounter with young workers are:

• They do not understand what can go wrong.

• They do not always follow the rules.

• They fail to use personal protective equipment (PPE) or use it incorrectly.

• They horse around on the equipment.

• They do not ask questions.

• They think they are infallible.

It’s also important for supervisors to recognize the physical, cognitive and emotional developmental differences between young and adult workers. It takes extra effort to train and supervise seasonal employees on working safely.

Here are some training suggestions:

• Repeatedly demonstrate job procedures and safety precautions. Don’t overlook the basics, such as starting and stopping equipment.

• The step-by-step instructions for any task must include the task’s hazards and how to avoid them. Take the time to clearly explain the risks of not following the proper steps. Use examples.

• Explain when and how to use PPE, as well as where to get it, how to inspect it, and how to remove and store it properly.

• Train one-to-one with young workers and observe them performing tasks.

• Encourage them to report problems and to ask questions.

• Assign specific clean-up tasks and emphasize the importance of a clean, clutter-free worksite.

• Control the hours worked. Many popular summer jobs, such as construction workers, landscapers, and jobs in hospitality and food industries, require long hours of work in the heat that can lead to fatigue, inattention, and stress, increasing the likelihood of injury.

• Provide a mentor.

• Demonstrate that safety is a priority at your facility. Words aren’t enough. New workers also need to see actions that reinforce the message: clean worksite, properly labeled hazardous substances and readily accessible safety data sheets, workers wearing required PPE and who are concerned about workplace safety and show it, and so on.

Heat illness dangers

While there are many excellent resources on dealing with heat, it’s important for employers to recognize that there are individual differences among workers and those who are struggling may be hesitant to complain.

The American Society of Safety Engineers calls heat the “unseen danger” at construction sites because the symptoms of heat illness can be subtle and misinterpreted as mere annoyances rather than signs of a serious health issue.

Workers new to outdoor jobs are particularly vulnerable. Implementing an acclimatization program, providing adequate water and frequent breaks are all critical, but the best way for employers to prevent heat illnesses is to consistently interact with workers to gauge how they’re feeling and provide current information on weather conditions.

Also, using apps, such as OSHA’s Heat Safety Tool, is a good way for workers to monitor their risk levels.

Light-duty Can Help Reduce Workers' Comp Claims Costs

After an employee is injured on the job, recuperation times can vary, but every day they are away from work, the claim cost increases and your productivity suffers. 

By implementing a program that offers a good incentive to return, you can reduce the risk of paying more benefits than necessary. 

Recent research shows that employers lose about 80 million work days annually due to workplace injuries or illnesses. The number of employees who remain away from work more than seven days because of injuries or illnesses stretches into the millions. 

This means that employers are left to deal with the high cost of workers' compensation premiums, lost productivity and disability benefits. But, by creating a special incentive program, you can greatly reduce these costs.

Light duties 

When an injured worker is off work healing, a physician will regularly examine them. These exams will in part determine whether the worker is ready to return to their previous tasks. 

In some cases, it may be possible to get the individual back to work sooner with light duties. 

For example, consider a worker who is injured while lifting boxes in a warehouse. The attending physician will be examining the employee to determine whether he or she is ready to lift boxes again. 

If the employee has a back injury, it could be several weeks before they can return to work. 

But, if the employer offered the worker an easy temporary job in the office, they may be able to return much sooner. To make something like this happen, a light-duty program must be put in place. A solid program should have the following features:

• Addresses environmental, physical, knowledge and emotional factors that may prevent employees from returning to work.

• Makes the transition to full-time work easier.

• Focuses on employees' abilities instead of their disabilities.

Light-duty programs improve employee morale by increasing incentives for returning to work and staying safe. For the employer, they maintain productivity by lowering the number of lost work days.

These programs help speed up employees' recovery processes. Recent research shows that 50% of workers who stay out of work for more than six months will never return to their jobs. If they stay out for more than one year, the likelihood of returning to work is about 10%. 

Getting employees back to work as quickly as possible is the best way to bring about feelings of being part of the team. It also lessens the financial impact on the employee and their family. 

The elements of a solid plan

To make sure a program is as comprehensive as possible, include the following elements:

• Performing meaningful tasks instead of simple busy work. 

• Coordination with the doctor about work restrictions.

• Alternative work assignments that benefit the employer and employee.

• Descriptions of duties the injured employee must perform.

• Provisions for situations where employees may have to take additional medical leave time after returning to work.

• Stated conditions and time parameters for temporary assignments.

Benefits of return-to-work programs

• Making it easier to keep valuable employees, who are productive while recovering.

• Making communication happen between employees, employers and doctors, instead of between employees and their doctors.

• Making it difficult for employees to stay out of work longer than necessary.

• Reducing the need to recruit, hire and train new workers.

• Reducing the cost of workersí comp disability payments to injured workers.

• Showing your concern for the injured employeeís health.

• Reducing claims costs, which can help reduce your rates.

The takeaway

Workers' compensation consumes a sizable portion of overall personnel costs. A solid return program can reduce those costs, including intangible ones, like the absence of an experienced worker. Also, it helps keep employees happy. To learn more about return-to-work programs, discuss the options with us. 

The Health of Your Drivers May Be Hurting Your Business

Most goods in the U.S. are delivered by truck. Trucking companies, businesses that deliver their own product and their customers rely on well-functioning vehicles and drivers for the success of their operations. 

Too often, though, driving a truck is not conducive to good health. That can spell trouble for the drivers and for the profitability of their employers.

There are a number of factors about the truck-driving occupation that contribute to poor physical health, including:

• Drivers are hired to sit all day behind the wheel, with limited opportunities for exercise.

• They eat at truck stops and other restaurants where they can get meals quickly, contributing to poor diets.

• Their work schedules are not consistent, interfering with sleep patterns.

• The job is stressful. They have to contend with the annoyances and hazards of the road all day long, including traffic delays, dangerous drivers, and poor weather. On top of that, they are under pressure to reach their destinations on time. This gives them incentives to skip on sleep and ingest stimulants to help them stay awake.

Not surprisingly, studies have found that:

• The obesity rate for truck drivers is double that of the general population.

• Their smoking rate is almost triple that of the general population.

• 88% of truck drivers report having hypertension, smoking or obesity, and 9% reported having all three, quadruple the general population’s rate.

• Truck drivers’ life expectancy is 16 years less than the national average.

• Unhealthy drivers do not perform their jobs as well as healthy ones do.

• Among private sector employees, truck drivers have the highest number of illnesses and injuries that cause them to miss work.  

A 2017 study found that drivers with three or more serious health conditions like the ones mentioned above are two to four times more likely to have an accident than are those with only one.

One common affliction for many drivers is sleep apnea. Drivers who have untreated sleep apnea are five times more likely to have a preventable accident than are those who treat it.

What you can do

What can you as an employer do to maintain a healthy driving force? Plenty.

• During the pre-employment screening process, evaluate candidates’ fitness levels through physical examinations and a review of their driving histories.

• Review employer safety policies and driver wellness and fitness requirements during new employee orientation.

• Implement injury prevention programs.

• Offer free or discounted memberships at gyms with locations around the country.

• Encourage drivers to take quick exercise breaks during trips.

• Encourage healthy eating both at home and on the road.

• Monitor drivers’ performance through data provided by telematics devices installed in trucks, review of accident reports, and in-person observation of drivers.

The takeaway

If a truck driver suffers a heart attack or dozes off while hauling a load weighing tens of thousands of pounds, the results can be catastrophic. In addition to the lives lost or forever changed, the cost to the employer could be millions of dollars in jury awards.

Making driver wellness a priority is the right thing to do, but it also makes business sense for employers.