The best way to prevent workplace accidents is to stop them before they happen. Utilizing a strong accident investigation process will allow you to uncover the root cause of injuries and help you control workers’ compensation costs. Accident investigation should take place immediately after an accident. This practice can help you eliminate exposures and create targeted programs for a safer workplace.
In this two-part blog series The Flanders Group will first discuss why accident investigations are so important to your businesses operations, and in part two share tips for conducting a thorough investigation.
Accidents, even near misses, should be top priority for every company in New York because when an accident occurs you experience business consequences such as:
• Loss of productivity and efficiency.
• Increased workload on supervisors and co-workers.
• Cost of screening, hiring, and training a new employee.
• Time spent on accident investigation, return to work programs, and workers’ compensation claims management.
• Costs associated with damaged equipment.
• And, economic hardship to the injured worker’s family.
An accident investigation’s sole purpose is to identify the hazard and insure that the accident is not repeated by finding the root cause, developing programs, policies and controls, and continued training.
Immediate investigation will help in every step of the claims process by enabling your insurance company to get to work faster in accurately filing the claim and medical personnel to treat the injured employee in the most effective way. Investigation of accidents is also important to your safety plan because it can directly reduce workers’ compensation costs by preventing future claims. For information on how to conduct a thorough accident investigation come back on Thursday for Part 2 of this blog, or contact The Flanders Group today.