Worker's Compensation Insurance

April 28th is recognized in the United States and around the world as Worker’s Memorial Day to commemorate workers who have died from work-related illnesses or injuries.

People everywhere will get up and head in to their jobs without giving much thought to workplace safety and whether their lives may be in peril just by being at work. For the most part, the American workplace is a much safer place today than it was in times past.

Do you know that the early history of our nation was not one that favored workplace safety? Early American jobsites were not regulated, and employers had no requirements to look out for the safety of their workers. The Industrial Revolution in the United States brought about an age of mechanization. Laborers were not skilled in the use of equipment, and jobsites were rampant with health risks and workplace injuries.

In the early 1900s, there were more than 3,000 railroad workers who lost their lives. More workers in other industries continued to die due to unsafe working conditions. In 1913, more than 25,000 workers died in the U.S. in work-related accidents with 700,000 receiving serious workplace injuries.

Before the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act of 1915, workers who were injured or disabled at work had to prove negligence against their employers to receive compensation. Civil lawsuits were difficult to prove and judges often sides with employers over injured workers. By 1930 all but four states had workers compensation laws to protect injured workers, and in 1948, Mississippi became the last U.S. state to enact workers compensation laws.

Today, workers compensation laws in the U.S. are state, rather than federally regulated, and all U.S. states, except for Texas, require employers with three or more workers to carry worker’s compensation insurance.

The United States has made great strides in worker safety, but we still have a long way to go. Take some time this Workers’ Memorial Day to recognize the importance of workplace safety!

Learn more about Manning Insurance Services‘ Worker’s Compensation Insurance.

The safety and health of employees should be a top priority for your business. The first step in improving safety in the workplace is identifying risks. Then it’s important to take steps to reduce or eliminate those safety hazards. Here are four steps in completing a risk assessment.

#1 Identifying risks

One of the leading causes of accidents and injuries at work is failure to identify risks. To identify risks, safety managers should collect and review information about any existing and potential hazards in the workplace. This process may include workplace inspections, employee interviews, injury incident investigations and an analysis of the severity of risks to employees.

#2 Identifying workers at risk

After the risks are identified, determine which workers are most at risk from these workplace hazards. This will give you the needed information for which workers may need special safety training, protective equipment or other adjustments to their work environment.

#3 Assessment of risks

Once you have identified hazards and workers who are at risk, the next step is assessing the risks. Here are a few questions to consider: What health risks are there to employees? How severe are these risks? Is the work environment and/or equipment used responsible for risks to employee safety? What steps can you take to reduce safety hazards? If the risk cannot be eliminated, assess what impact the hazard will have on employees’ safety and health.

#4 Implement measures to reduce or eliminate risks

Workplace risk assessment is of no use unless steps are taken to reduce or eliminate risks. At-risk workers need safety training for dealing with hazardous situations. Any physical hazards at the workplace should be removed if possible (faulty equipment, antiquated office furniture, excess noise, etc.).

Safety managers need to develop a written program and hold official meetings and training for employees. Workplace safety risk assessment is an ongoing process and is essential for the security and health of employees. Improving workplace safety can help eliminate unnecessary risks to employees and help them save money on insurance premiums for workers compensation coverage. Here are some guidelines from OSHA for establishing a workplace safety program.

Do you need a quote for workers compensation coverage? We can help! Contact us to discuss coverage options. 

Learn more about Manning Insurance Services‘ Workers Compensation Coverage.