Our President, Matt Davis, just obtained his Associate in Risk Management (“ARM”) designation. Looks like he now thinks he’s some kind of a “big deal”.
Congrats to Matt on the accomplishment, and we look forward to being able to provide even better guidance and service to our clients.
Matt posing with his official new certificate.
About the ARM Designation
Associate in Risk Management – ARM – is the is the industry leading designation for Risk Management operations and design, and is held by Professional Risk Managers throughout Insurance, and nearly ALL other industries. Being that Insurance is just one component of a robust Risk Management Program, we are proud that Matt obtained this designation.
To learn more about what GDI can do for your business through insurance and risk management, click the link below.
Successful companies aren’t just companies that make a lot of money.
Successful companies are those with a glowing outside and a healthy inside.
They are businesses that take care of their employees just as much as their customers.
Recently, there’s been a big push for cheap or cut-rate workers’ compensation insurance. And, when considered as part of your safety program, workers’ comp is an investment in your business’ most important asset – your employees.
Here are three reasons why a good workers’ comp policy is everything:
✔️It’s required in most states
✔️It helps injured workers get what they need
✔️And, it protects your business
But what matters most is choosing an insurance broker that helps you through the policy selection process and helps you choose a policy for your business that is the best it can be.
At GDI, we know how hard it can be sometimes when choosing. Workers’ comp requirements change by state, and policies vary by company.
So, we let you lead us. We’ll help you compare policies, prices, and allow you to choose the right one for you. And we help you save money too.
Our programs allow you to insure your own employees and give them the peace of mind that you have prepared for anything.
It shows not that you’re thinking about yourself, but that you care about them. You see them as the lifeblood of your business, because they are.
No operation can be successful without adequate safety and health recordkeeping, which enables you to learn from past experience and make corrections for future operations. Records of accidents, work-related injuries, illnesses and property losses serve as a valuable purpose.
Under Cal/OSHA recordkeeping requirements, all information on accidents is gathered and stored. Upon review, causes can be identified and control procedures instituted to prevent the illness or injury from recurring. Keep in mind that any inspection of your workplace may require you to demonstrate the effectiveness of your program.
Injury and illness recordkeeping requirements under Cal/OSHA require a minimum amount of paperwork.
These records give you one measure for evaluating the success of your safety and health activities: success would generally mean a reduction or elimination of employee injuries or illnesses during a calendar year.
Five important steps are required by the Cal/OSHA recordkeeping system:
Each employer (unless exempt by size or industry) must record each fatality, injury or illness that is work-related, is a new case, or meets one or more of the general recording criteria specified in Title 8, Section 14300.
Record each injury or illness on the Cal/OSHA Log of Occupational Work Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300) according to its instructions.
Prepare an Injury and Illness Incident Report (Form 301), or equivalent.
Annually review and certify the Cal/OSHA Form 300 and post the Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300A) no later than February 1 and keep it posted where employees can see it until April 30.
Maintain the last five years of these records in your files.NOTE: Additional information on recordkeeping can be found on the Internet at: www.californiaosha.info or www.dir.ca.gov/DOSH
During the year, regularly review these records to see where your injuries and illnesses are occurring. Look for any patterns or repeat situations. These records can help you identify hazardous areas in your workplace and pinpoint where immediate corrective action is needed.
Since the basic Cal/OSHA records are for reportable injuries and illnesses only, you might expand your system to include all incidents relating to workplace safety and health, even those where no injury or illness resulted. Such information can assist you in pinpointing unsafe acts, conditions or procedures.
Exposure Records
Injury and illness records may not be the only records you need to maintain. Cal/ OSHA standards concerning toxic substances and hazardous exposures require records of employee exposure to these substances and sources, physical examination reports, employment records, and other information.
Employers using any regulated carcinogens have additional reporting and recordkeeping requirements. See Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations for details.
Documentation of Your Activities
Essential records, including those legally required for workers’ compensation, insurance audits and government inspections must be maintained for as long as required.
For most employers, Cal/OSHA standards also require that you keep records of steps taken to establish and maintain your Injury and Illness Prevention Program. They must include:
Records of scheduled and periodic inspections as required by the standard to identify unsafe conditions and work practices. The documentation must include the name of the person(s) conducting the inspection, the unsafe conditions and work practices identified, and the action taken to correct the unsafe conditions and work practices. The records are to be maintained for at least one year. However, employers with fewer than 10 employees may elect to maintain the inspection records only until the hazard is corrected.
Documentation of safety and health training required by standards for each employee. The documentation must specifically include employee name or other identifier, training dates, type(s) of training and the name of the training provider. These records must also be kept for at least one year, except that training records of employees who have worked for less than one year for the employer need not be retained beyond the term of employment if they are provided to the employee upon termination of employment.
Also, employers with fewer than 10 employees can substantially comply with the documentation provision by maintaining a log of instructions provided to the employee with respect to the hazards unique to the employees’ job assignment when first hired or assigned new duties. Some relief from documentation is available for employers with fewer than 20 employees who are working in industries that are on the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR’s) designated list of low-hazard industries, and for employers with fewer than 20 employees who are not on DlR’s list of high-hazard industries and who have a Workers’ Compensation Experience Modification Rate of 1.1 or less.
For these industries, written documentation of the Injury and Illness Prevention Program may be limited to:
Written documentation of the identity of the person or persons with authority and responsibility for implementing the program;
Written documentation of scheduled periodic inspections to identify unsafe conditions and work practices; and
Written documentation of training and instruction.
Keeping such records fulfills your responsibilities under General Industry Safety Order 3203. It also affords an efficient means to review your current safety and health activities for better control of your operations and to plan future improvements.
California’s Leader in Insurance and Risk Management
As one of the fastest growing agencies in California, GDI Insurance Agency, Inc. is able to provide its clients with the latest and greatest of what the insurance industry has to offer and much, much more.
With locations across the heart of California’s Central Valley and beyond to provide a local feel to the solutions and services we provide our clients. We pride ourselves on exceeding our client’s expectations in every interaction to make sure that our client’s know how much we value and appreciate their business. Contact us today 1-209-634-2929 for your comprehensive California workers compensation insurance quote!
Medical Considerations For Workers Compensation Claims
Workers compensation insurance is designed to provide treatment to an injured worker to recover from a work related illness or injury. Workers compensation will partially replace wages lost during recovery and help your employee return to work.
These medical consideration tips will help you evaluate the necessity of some treatments and to verify that your employee’s treatment or care is appropriate.
A Broker at GDI Insurance Agency, Inc. can help you with a complete Workers Compensation program. Contact us at 1-888-991-2929.
Medical Considerations
Make sure that your occupational medical practitioner does a thorough and proper examination when an employee first goes to see them; this way, you will not be surprised when the independent medical examiner (IME) tells you that you have a problem claimant. This includes performing Waddell’s tests when there is a lower back injury involved.
A diagnosis should be supported by the conditions of the accident. If the two don’t match up, then the diagnosed injury could be a result of something not directly related to work functions. In these situations, be very careful of what you pay for.
Don’t pay a bill for a surgery or procedure without reading the operative report. Sometimes it can contain things that had nothing to do with the incident that should not be your financial responsibility.
Don’t let diagnostic tests dictate your case management; tests only proves that there is an injury, not whether it happened at your workplace.
For a quick and easy way to save money, refer employees to physicians that you trust to provide legitimate findings and diagnoses.
Before a surgery takes place, establish whether it was caused by a work-related condition. Doctors may suggest surgery a bit more readily when they know it is a workers’ compensation claim.
Make sure that diagnoses are legitimate and universally accepted before you pay a claim. For instance, don’t list “pain” as your work-related diagnosis. Pain is a subjective finding – you cannot qualify it or quantify it.
Know the basics about common medical terms that you may encounter. For example, fibromyalgia is not a diagnosis; it is a symptom. The word itself means “pain in the fibrous tissue” (the suffix “algia” always indicates a symptom).
Be wary of paying for surgeries or operations caused by arthritis. Arthritis is not caused by trauma and thus cannot result from an on-the-job injury; therefore, in most cases, it should not be considered a workers’ compensation claim. The only exception is arthritis caused by repetitive trauma, found in employees who do a lot of squatting, kneeling or repetitive hand and finger movements.
Be wary of other common claims that may be masked as workers’ compensation injuries. For example, in general, trauma does not affect an existing replaced knee, making it rare for necessary loose knee replacement to be work-related.
Legal Considerations
Know and understand the interplay between your state workers’ compensation laws, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
Keep your legal counsel in the loop on workplace injuries right from the beginning. The first 24 hours after an incident are crucial, and your lawyer needs to be informed about conditions, investigations and any updates.
When hiring, provide detailed job descriptions that include an accurate percentage of the amount of work that is physical. This may prevent later legal disputes.
Document and file everything throughout the workers’ compensation and return to work process, as it may become relevant information if there is a claim or later dispute.
After an incident, review the employee’s personnel file. This will help you understand the employee better, and it may offer clues or tendencies for potential fraud or a vendetta against a co-worker or manager.
After an incident, your legal team or representative should do an on-site inspection where the injury occurred. Be sure that they interview others who do a similar job in addition to any witnesses.
If there are changes in the diagnosis, the accident needs to be re-evaluated. It may not have happened as reported.
Keep an organized case chronology, documenting everything from initial claim to the close of a case. This includes previous history of the employee that may be relevant (past disputes with co-workers, claims history, problems at home, etc).
Make sure to provide the IME with everything you have, including your chronology.
Before a trial, make sure your witnesses are prepared. Someone from the company should be present at every hearing; it’s important to make sure that everyone is always on the same page.
Learn More About Workers Compensation
Download our “Money Saving Workers Compensation Tips”. This PDF is full of Workers Compensation strategies that will positively effect your bottom line.
California’s Leader in Workers Compensation Insurance and Risk Management
As one of the fastest growing agencies in California, GDI Insurance Agency, Inc is able to provide its clients with the latest and greatest of what the insurance industry has to offer and much, much more. With locations across the heart of California’s Central Valley and beyond to provide a local feel to the solutions and services we provide our clients. We pride ourselves on exceeding our client’s expectations in every interaction to make sure that our client’s know how much we value and appreciate their business.
How Does Your Business Handle Claims Management for Workers Compensation Claims?
Having a workers compensation claims management process or “best practices” saves you time, energy, money and stress. Having a plan in place can positively influence on your bottom line.
A Broker at GDI Insurance Agency, Inc. can help you with a Workers Compensation Program. Contact us at 1-888-991-2929.
Workers Compensation Claims Management
Contact your injured workers early and often. This will let them know that you care about them, which can help keep morale up and encourage their return to full, regular duty.
Consider unconventional or outside-the-box treatment if it will help an employee recover and return faster.
If your state allows you to direct or encourage employees to use certain doctors, use doctors who understand your business whenever possible. This will help ensure the best treatment for your employees and hopefully aid in return to work scenarios, keeping claims costs down.
Integrate strategic wellness programs into your company to help reduce injuries. Understand how chronic conditions, like obesity and diabetes, can affect or cause other injuries. Managing such diseases properly can reduce workers’ compensation claims costs.
Explain workers’ compensation benefits, programs and expectations during new employee orientation to keep future claims costs down. Make sure employees understand that they will not be punished in any way for making a claim or reporting an injury, and explain the importance of promptly reporting any injury or incident.
Make return to work a priority across your entire organization – every job should have a return to work provision, and every employee should know about it. Return to work program awareness should not just be the job of human resources or your claims adjuster.
Keep up to date on laws that impact your workers’ compensation claims. Be sure to know your requirements and responsibilities as an employer and how to address any possible or suspected fraud.
Keep tabs on what your claims administrator is doing; you should always know what is happening with a claim.
Claims Investigation
Exercise due diligence when investigating a claim. Beyond speaking to the direct supervisor and the injured employee, interview other witnesses or co-workers that could shed light on the situation.
After an incident or claim, be sure to investigate early and keep all the information organized. Make sure you gather all appropriate evidence and information so it can be verified later.
Determine whether the employee was actually working on the date that they claim to have been injured. Discrepancies or falsities happen often, particularly with late claims.
California’s Leader in Workers Compensation Insurance and Risk Management
As one of the fastest growing agencies in California, GDI Insurance Agency, Inc is able to provide its clients with the latest and greatest of what the insurance industry has to offer and much, much more. With locations across the heart of California’s Central Valley and beyond to provide a local feel to the solutions and services we provide our clients. We pride ourselves on exceeding our client’s expectations in every interaction to make sure that our client’s know how much we value and appreciate their business.
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