Employment Law

7 Workers’ Compensation Questions Every Employer Should Consider Part 1 featured image

7 Workers’ Compensation Questions Every Employer Should Consider Part 1

If you own a business, especially one with significant safety and health risks like a construction company, you never want to experience any financial setbacks because there wasn’t a system in place to account for unplanned spending. In this two-part article, a Florida workers’ compensation lawyer will discuss seven questions that every employer should consider regarding workers’ compensation and effectively keeping costs in control.

1. Is Your Workforce Properly Trained?

Every workplace needs a comprehensive safety plan in place. Integrating this system reduces the chances of accidents and injuries lowering premiums. This plan also ensures you are complying with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and avoid costly citations. Lastly, a safety plan shows compassion for your workforce and promotes a positive work environment.

Workers should be provided with written safety instructions, and supervisors need to be thoroughly trained on what action to take during an accident or time of emergency. A Florida workers’ compensation attorney can provide your workplace with safety audits to ensure that your jobsite is OSHA compliant.

2. Are Your Workers Educated in the Process?

Beyond safety training initiatives, your workforce needs to be educated on workers’ compensation and how it affects your business. Do your employees realize the significant expenses that this system requires? Do they understand what qualifies as a workplace injury? It’s important that your employees understand the workers’ compensation system.   

3. Have You Established a Reporting System?

It’s one thing to train and educate your workforce, it’s another to have a finely tuned reporting system in place. Workers should be required to report any type of workplace accident immediately after it occurs. Even if the worker claims they do not need treatment, employers need to take every reported issue seriously, evaluate the accident, request that the worker receive treatment, and keep documentation related to the incident. Moreover, if an employee needs to file a claim, the employer needs to navigate them through this process.     

4. Does This Reporting System Include Reporting Fraud?

In order to avoid dealing with a fraudulent claim, employers should establish a confidential system in which employees can report an alleged fraudulent claim. For example, an employer should list their insurance company’s phone number on a bulletin board to notify employees that there is an option to report a fraudulent claim. Workers need to be aware that they have an outlet to report a claim and that fraudulent behavior will not be tolerated.  

For more information on managing workers’ compensation costs, please read part two.

If you would like to speak with one of our Florida workers’ compensation lawyers, please contact us today.

 

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.