BWC Distributing Final $81 Million in Rebates
The BWC is distributing the final $81.7 million in the Billion Back rebate program. The last round involves 2,000 employers in the group-retrospective rating program. The businesses receiving the latest money are those private employers that participate in group-retrospective rating. Under the program, BWC-certified sponsors create groups of employers that focus on practicing workplace safety and claims management to achieve lower premiums that they could as individuals. Employers continue to pay individual premiums, and then receive retrospective premium adjustments based on the combined performance of the group. Most of these businesses will receive checks, which were schedule to be mailed. Those with outstanding BWC balances will have their rebates first applied to satisfy those balances. The $1 billion rebate is part of a three-part Billion Back plan that also includes changes to the BWC's successful Safety Grant Program. The final piece of the Billion Back plan includes the modernization of the BWC's premium collection model toward a prospective-payment system. The prospective plan, which is likely to begin in early 2015, will result in a $900 million credit to employers to avoid double billing. . ALSO.. . The BWC recently teamed up with the Ohio Department of Aging and other Ohio government and state business partners for STEADY U, a statewide collaborative aimed at preventing slips, trips and falls in older Ohioans. Employee who are 45 years old and older are more likely to fall in the workplace than other workers. Work-related slips, trips and falls often result in sick days, reduced productivity and expensive workers' compensation claims for the employer. The average BWC claim for lost time related to slips, trips and falls is more than $31,000. Below listed are 10 ways to reduce falls in the workplace: --Keep a written housekeeping program --Ensure floors are clean and dry --Employ proper floor cleaning procedures --Wear slip-resistant shoes --Block entry into areas with wet floors --Maintain adequate lighting --Encourage employees to take their time and watch where they are going --Maintain a written removal plan for ice and snow --Place additional mats in entrances during inclement weather --Ask for employees to use stepstools instead of standing on furniture
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