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The COVID pandemic created a shift in the number of Americans working from home and has caused some gray areas for Workers’ Compensation Insurance. Statistics show that in the last five years, the number of people who work from home has risen by 44%, with approximately 62% of employees between the ages of 22 and 65 working remotely at least occasionally. Plus, 16% of companies worldwide are now 100% remote.

There are advantages to working from home for both employees and employers:

• 77% of remote workers believe they are more productive when working from home.
• 75% of employees working remotely do so because there are fewer distractions at home.
• 69% of millennials say they would give up certain work benefits for a more flexible working space.
• 64% of recruiters say that the ability to offer a work-from-home option helps them find high-quality talent.
• 74% of workers say that having a remote work opportunity would make them less likely to leave a company.

However, working from home does create challenges when it comes to Workers’ Compensation Insurance.

What is Workers Compensation (WC)?

The PA Department of Labor & Industry defines WC as a “mandatory, employer-financed, no-fault insurance which ensures that employees disabled due to a work-related injury or disease will be compensated for lost wages and provides necessary medical treatment to return them to the workforce.” Failure to carry WC coverage can result in a $2,500 fine, up to one year imprisonment, and more.

WC covers any injury that “arises out of and in the course of employment.” So, any injury that occurs while an employee is performing work-related activities during working hours may be a valid WC claim. Where that work is performed is irrelevant; it can be outside or inside the workplace. However, the injury must be “work-related” to be considered a valid WC claim.

Workers' Compensation Challenges

Determining whether or not an injury is work-related becomes more challenging and finding witnesses to verify what occurred is nearly impossible for injuries that occur to employees working remotely.

Plus, one of the best ways to lower WC costs is to file fewer claims. When employees work in your facility, there are many steps you can take to create a safer work environment to minimize the risk of injury. However, when employees work remotely, you have little to no control over their work environment.

5 Steps to Reduce Liability for WC Claims

1. Create a written statement that establishes policies relating to employees working from home, including defining the employee’s work duties and expectations regarding communication and status updates.
   
   
2. Clearly define work hours and determine how you will track hours virtually.
   
   
3. Provide home workspace guidelines. For example, show them how to include proper lighting in their workspace to avoid eyestrain and create a workstation to mitigate the risk of repetitive stress injuries.
   
   
4. Review home offices to eliminate potential hazards, such as loose cords or overloaded electrical outlets.
   
   
5. Establish cybersecurity processes. While this isn’t directly related to WC, it can help minimize a data breach or cyberattack liability risk because 54% of IT professionals consider remote workers to pose a greater security risk than traditional workers.

Review Insurance Policies

Any significant changes should warrant an insurance review to ensure you have the right coverage. For example, purchasing new equipment may require additional insurance, decreasing the number of employees could lower your WC costs, and allowing employees to work from home can create different liability issues that need to be addressed.

Save Now on Workers Compensation Insurance!

To ensure you have the right insurance at the lowest cost, call one of the experienced, independent agents at American Insuring Group today at (800) 947-1270 or (610) 775-3848, or connect with us online.

Restaurants are filled with potential risks, but the right Restaurant Insurance helps protect your restaurant from those risks. Here are four facts about commercial insurance to help ensure that you have the RIGHT insurance for your unique insurance needs.

Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance Isn't Enough.

CGL is a complex insurance policy that helps cover legal liability costs associated with incidents caused by your services, business operations, or employees. CGL typically covers bodily injury, property damage, personal injury, advertising injury, and medical payments.

Restaurants face many risks. An employee can fall and injure themselves. A customer can get sick from food consumed in your restaurant. A delivery vehicle can be in an accident. And the list goes on… Unfortunately, not all liability issues are covered by a CGL policy, and often additional coverage is required.

For example…

Back injuries account for nearly 20% of all injuries and illnesses in the workplace, according to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), and those injuries are costing businesses billions of dollars in lost productivity, Workers' Compensation Insurance costs, and more.

What Causes Back Injuries?

Back Injuries can happen in an instant or develop over time. Here are five common risks for back injuries:

• • • Repetitive Motion
    • Poor Physical Condition
    • Incorrect Lifting
    • Poor Posture
    • Inactivity

    How to Minimize the Risk of Back Injuries

Pennsylvania law mandates that every employer (with very few exceptions) provides Workers' Compensation Insurance for their employees.

The cost of this insurance is based on several factors, such as payroll, work risk, and work history. The National Academy of Social Insurance reports the average cost of WC insurance in PA in 2018 was $1.35 per $100 of payroll.

The good news is that there are many steps employers can take to lower Workers' Compensation Insurance costs. Number one is creating a safer work environment because fewer claims mean lower WC Insurance costs. Here are five additional tips to help lower your Workers' Compensation costs.

Immediately Report Injuries

PA law requires that workplace injuries be reported promptly, and reporting injuries quickly also provides many benefits to the employer.

• A delay in treatment can worsen the injury, thereby extending recovery time and increasing days out of work.
• It's harder to investigate a claim, determine compensability, and identify fraudulent claims that are not reported promptly.
• If an employee reports an injury and the employer delays the claim, it can create distrust in the injured employee and other employees.
• It's the law. Employers are required to file all WC claims within 21 days.

Communicate with Injured Employees

Regular communication helps maintain good relationships by letting injured employees know that you are concerned about their well-being and recovery and that they are valued employees. Failure to do so can cause an unhappy worker (which can extend to un-injured employees), and unhappy workers are more likely to hire an attorney. Regular discussions also help keep employers apprised of an injured employee's medical status so they can get them back to work as quickly and safely as possible.

Get Injured Employees Back to Work as Quickly and Safely as Possible

Getting injured employees back to work – even in a limited capacity – benefits both the employer and the injured employee. Here are the benefits of a return-to-work program, according to SHRM:

• Increased productivity.
• Reduced costs due to overtime pay as other workers fill in.
• Reduced administrative costs associated with filling the position with temporary help.
• Controlled workers' compensation claim costs.
• Reduced short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD) costs.
• Reduction in absenteeism and days away from work.

Employees benefit from an RTW program because:

• They maintain some or all of their earnings.
• They retain their skills and are productive contributors to the organization.
• They are likely to return to their pre-injury jobs more quickly.
• They maintain social connections and sense of purpose with their work routine.

Analyze

One way to lower your WC costs is to improve your loss history. One way to improve your loss history is by analyzing a loss run report – a report issued by your current insurance provider that shows your company's claim activity.

Loss Run Reports provide a great deal of information, such as the date of each claim, a description of each claim, the amount paid to the insured, and whether or not the claim is closed. Insurance companies use the information from these reports to determine how risky a business is to insure, which can affect the premium you pay or even determine if an insurance company will issue or renew your policy.

Use this information to lower your insurance costs. Here's how:

• Is the information accurate?
• Are there common injuries that you can minimize?
• If you have a high number of claims from one individual or new hires, can you improve safety training?
• If you have a lost-time claim higher than the average 20-25%, can you improve your return-to-work Program?
• If you discover a pattern of long reporting times, can you provide additional safety training for managers?
• If you see a large number of litigated claims, could it be a lack of communication, a bad business culture, or disgruntled employees?

Create a Wellness Program

Healthier employees lead to happier, more productive employees, fewer days away from work, and lower workers' compensation costs. A Duke University Medical Center analysis reported that obese workers filed twice as many WC claims, missed 13 times more workdays from a workplace injury or illness, and incurred seven times higher medical costs than non-obese workers.

Indiana State Department of Health reported, "Workers' compensation costs for a smoker averaged $2,189 compared to only $176 for a nonsmoker." And one study found that "smokers are absent from work for sickness as many as 6.16 days per year on average, compared with 3.86 days for those employees who never smoke."

A wellness program can help improve your employees' lives and your Workers' Compensation costs.

Lower Workers' Compensation Insurance Costs

Work with one of the experienced and trusted agents at American Insuring Group. We work with more than 25 competing insurance carriers to find the best insurance value to meet your specific situation.

Give us a call today at (800) 947-1270 or (610) 775-3848, or connect with us online.

One way to reduce the cost of Workers’ Compensation Insurance is by managing medical expenses. One way Pennsylvania employers can manage medical costs is by providing a list of designated health care providers.

The PA Workers’ Compensation Act allows employers to establish a list of designated health care providers and states that injured employees “must seek treatment for the work injury or illness with one of the designated providers for 90 days from the date of the first visit.” Without this list, injured employees can seek medical treatment from any provider.

Creating a list of good health care providers for your injured employees not only helps you manage health care costs and lower WC insurance; it also helps ensure that your injured employees receive the best care possible. First, however, there are guidelines providers must follow.

In Pennsylvania, almost all employers are required to carry Workers' Compensation Insurance (WC) for their employees. WC covers medical costs and lost wages for an employee that is injured on the job. WC also protects employers from negligence lawsuits. 

However, that doesn't make employers impervious to WC litigation. Under Pennsylvania law, if a workers' comp claim is denied, the injured employee has up to three years to file an appeal. And statistics show that litigated workers' compensation claims cost businesses more money, making minimizing the risk of litigation a smart move. 

Here are four tips to Lower the Risk of Workers' Compensation Litigation. 

Minimize the Risk of Injury

The best way to minimize the risk of WC litigation is to reduce the risk of injury with a workplace safety program.

 According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), every workplace safety program should include the following elements:

• Commitment from management
• Employee Involvement
• A workplace analysis
• Hazard prevention and control
• Employee training
• Communication

Creating a safer work environment does more than lower the risk of litigation. It also helps improve your bottom line. Discover the impact of workplace injuries on your profitability with OSHA's "$afety Pays" program. 

Understand Why Injured Employees Seek Litigation

A Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) study in 2014 took a look at why employees will hire an attorney. Here are the three primary reasons:

• Fear of getting fired just because they were injured on the job
• A belief that their supervisors don't believe it's a legitimate injury
• Concerns that the claim will be denied 

Once you know what can trigger an injured employee to seek litigation, you can take steps to prevent those triggers from happening. 

Communicate With Injured Employees

One of those steps is to communicate with injured employees. In that study, WCRI found that 33% of all the injured workers they surveyed were afraid that they were going to be fired. Regular communication with an injured employee can help eliminate that and many other uncertainties (which is often why people seek litigation). 

As soon as possible, someone from your company should reach out to the injured employee to ask how they're doing. But, first, you need to determine the best person to keep in touch with the injured employee. That person could be the employee's immediate supervisor, someone from human resources, etc. 

Then, you should have weekly face-to-face meetings with injured employees to show them that you value them, get updates on their medical condition, and discuss a potential transitional duty job. During these regular meetings, you can also gauge the attitude of the injured employee more quickly. 

During these conversations, you should listen to and address their concerns, assure them that their job is safe, and encourage them to focus on recovery. 

Have a Return to Work program

A return to work (RTW) program helps bring injured employees back to work more quickly. That could mean modified duties for the employee until they can medically return to their original job. In addition, an RTW helps an employee feel more productive and more connected to their workplace, which means they will be less likely to seek litigation.

The PA Department of Labor & Industry states, "Return-to-Work programs benefit all partners in the compensation system."

• Injured workers maintain employment security, seniority, and benefits and receive personalized and effective treatment;
• Employers retain experienced employees while reducing accident and workplace costs;
• Health care providers are supported in their decisions and treatment strategies;
• Unions maintain the employment rights of their members; and
• The workers' compensation system can manage rising health care costs and provide high levels of benefits to injured workers and their dependents. 

And, of course, RTW programs help minimize the potential for an injured employee to seek litigation.

Save on Workers' Compensation Insurance

The experienced agents at American Insuring Group specialize in WC insurance and ensure you have the right coverage at the best price. Give us a call at (800) 947-1270 or (610) 775-3848, or connect with us online. 

As the temperature continues to rise, so do heat-related illnesses among construction workers. The first step to minimizing your risk of these illnesses (and lowering your Contractor Insurance costs) is to understand potential illnesses, how to avoid them, and how to treat them.

According to WebMD, "Heat exhaustion is strongly related to the heat index, which is a measurement of how hot you feel when the effects of relative humidity and air temperature are combined. A relative humidity of 60% or more hampers sweat evaporation, which hinders your body's ability to cool itself." A heat index of 90 degrees or more significantly increases the chance of a heat-related illness.

Certain factors can increase your risks of a heat-related illness, such as obesity, certain prescription medications, the use of illegal drugs, alcohol, and certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, kidney, and heart problems. Also, adults over 65 can be more susceptible to heat-related illnesses.

Here are four heat-related illnesses to look out for when you're working in hot and humid conditions – inside or out.

Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion is the most common heat-related illness and can occur when a person is exposed to high temperatures for several days without adequate fluids.

There are two types of heat exhaustion – water depletion and salt depletion. Water depletion can cause excessive thirst, headache, weakness, and even a loss of consciousness. Salt depletion causes nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and muscle cramps. Additional symptoms can include confusion, dark urine, pale skin, rapid heartbeat, and profuse sweating.

If you or someone you're working with in hot and/or humid conditions experience these symptoms, the first step is to cool them down.

• Get them out of the heat – preferably into an air-conditioned room
• Remove tight or unnecessary clothing,
• Take a cool shower, bath, or sponge bath
• Drink plenty of fluids (including sports drinks, which replace salt)
• Remove tight or unnecessary clothing,

If these measures don't make you feel better within fifteen minutes, seek medical help. Without proper intervention, heat exhaustion can lead to heatstroke – a more serious heat-related illness that can cause damage to vital organs or even death.

Heat Stroke

Heatstroke is the most severe heat-related illness and, unlike heat exhaustion, requires immediate medical attention. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "[Heat stroke] occurs when the body becomes unable to control its temperature: the body's temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. Body temperature may rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes."

A person suffering from heatstroke will experience many of the same symptoms as heat exhaustion – headache, dizziness, nausea, etc. But a person with a heat stroke will stop sweating and have a high body temperature. As a result, their skin will be red, hot, and DRY rather than cold, pale, and clammy skin like someone with heat exhaustion.

If you see or feel any of these symptoms, immediately call for medical assistance, get out of the heat, and use any methods to cool down quickly (i.e., spray with cool water or immerse in a tub of cool water). Monitor the body temperature until it is below 103°F. Do not give fluids to someone with heatstroke.

Heat Cramps

When your body lacks both water and salt, your muscles can spasm and cause cramps, typically in the arms, legs, and abdomen. If you experience heat cramps, get out of the heat, drink cool water or electrolyte-replenishing drink, and apply a cool, wet compress to cramping areas. Seek medical assistance if the cramps don't go away within an hour of treatment.

Heat Rash

Heat Rash is the least serious heat-related illness, but it can be uncomfortable. It happens when sweat can't evaporate from the surface of your skin, which can happen to construction workers working long hours in hot conditions. With a heat rash, you'll see small itchy red bumps or blisters – typically on your chest, neck, groin area, and inside your elbow. You can help alleviate the symptoms by getting out of the heat and hydrating. A cool shower and the application of talcum powder can help eliminate the rash.

Here's How to Lower Your Contractor Insurance Costs

American Insuring Group wants to help lower your Contractor Insurance costs by helping you keep you and your employees safe. AND, as independent agents, we compare multiple competing insurance companies to ensure that you pay the lowest insurance premiums while providing you with great coverage.

Give us a call today at (800) 947-1270 or (610) 775-3848, or connect with us online.

Commercial Insurance is an excellent investment for any small to medium-sized business. Liability insurance, workers' compensation, or any other type of commercial insurance is designed to help protect your business. But that doesn't mean you should pay more than you have to for that coverage.

Here are some tips to help you lower your Commercial Insurance costs:

Create a Safer Work Environment

Whether you run your business out of an office or a Jobsite, creating a safe work environment is your responsibility. And it's in your best interest as fewer workplace injuries mean lower expenses, including lower Workers' Compensation and Commercial Liability premiums.

There are several measures every business can take to create a safer work environment:

• Create a culture of safety
• Use signs to alert employees about potential hazards
• Provide PPE when appropriate
• Keep things clean
• Maintain equipment
• Implement safety protocols, etc.

Develop Safer Employees

Safety training should be a part of any employee training – especially in higher-risk occupations, such as restaurant, trucking, and construction. But even an office presents certain hazards, such as ergonomic injuries, eye strain, and fires.

The Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA) offers various safety and health training and articles based on hazards, industries, etc.

Minimize the Risk of Theft or Damage

Prevent employee theft by doing background checks on potential employees and hiring employees who don't have a criminal background. Have a written policy on employee theft and make sure all employees understand those policies. Divide payroll and billing responsibilities, restrict access, keep track of inventory, etc.

Protect your business assets from theft and vandalism by installing solid doors and good locks and ensure that your exterior building entrances are well lit. In addition, consider installing security systems – cameras and alarms.

Protect your information from being stolen through cyber-attacks by training employees on security principles, providing firewall security for your internet connection, ensuring proper passwords and authentication is used, etc.

Combine Your Insurance

Many insurance companies offer a discount when you combine or "bundle" different types of insurance – such as commercial auto and commercial property insurance. And did you know that depending on your business structure, you may even be able to bundle business and personal policies to save even more on insurance premiums?

Maintain Good Credit

Often, insurance companies will look at a new business owner's personal credit history before providing an insurance quote, and typically the better your credit history, the lower your premiums. Establishing good credit under your business name – especially if your personal credit is less than stellar – could also help lower your insurance premiums.

Increase Deductibles

The deductible is the amount that you pay out of pocket when you make a claim. The higher you set your deductible, the lower your insurance premiums should be. However, before selecting a high deductible to lower your insurance premiums, make sure you will be able to cover that deductible if you have to make a claim.

Review Your Insurance Policies Annually

In business, as in life, things change. For example, this past year, you may have purchased or sold a company vehicle, made improvements on your property, added or eliminated an employee. Any of these changes can affect your insurance premiums and the amount of coverage you need, so it's essential that you review your policy each year.

Work with an Independent Insurance Agent

The agents at American Insuring are independent agents, which means we aren't restricted to working with one insurance company, unlike most of our competitors. Instead, our agents will check with multiple insurance companies to ensure that you get the lowest rate possible on your insurance needs.

For a free quote, give us a call today at (800) 947-1270 or (610) 775-3848, or connect with us online.

In Pennsylvania, almost every employer is required to carry Workers’ Compensation Insurance for their employees; however, they are not required to pay more than they have to.

There are many ways employers can lower WC costs - creating a safer workplace, working with an insurance agent – like those at American Insuring Group - who specializes in Workers’ Comp, and reviewing your company’s WC Loss Run Report at least once a year.

What is a Loss Run Report?

A Loss Run Report – issued by your current insurance provider - shows your company’s claim activity for the policy period. You can request this report for most types of business insurance – including Workers’ Comp, and most states require the company to provide the report within a certain amount of time.

Loss Run Reports list the date of each loss and claim, a brief description of each claim, the amount paid to the insured, and whether or not the claim is closed. You can think of it like a credit report or report card for insurance companies. They use the information in the report to determine how risky a business is to insure, which can affect the premium you pay for insurance or even if an insurance company will issue a policy or renew a policy for your business.

You can use the information to lower your insurance costs and even improve other areas of your business.

What Should You Review on a Loss Run Report?

Accuracy

At the very minimum, you should check the Loss Run Report for accuracy. Ensure that you recognize every claim listed on the report and that the information listed is correct. Invalid claims or incorrect information could impact how much you pay for insurance.

Common Injuries

The report also lists the most common and frequent injuries and where they occurred. You can use this information to improve safety and lower the number of injuries within your company, reducing your insurance (and other) costs.

Claimants

Suppose you notice a high number of claims from one individual or specifically from new hires. In that case, you can talk to them about safety or adjust your safety training to help reduce the likelihood of additional claims.

Lost Time

Lost-Time claims indicate that compensation was paid to an injured worker who cannot perform their job due to the injury. The national average for lost-time claims is between 20 and 25 percent. If you notice a high percentage of lost-time claims, you may want to take a look at your Return-to-Work program. There are many benefits for both employee and employer to get injured employees back to work as soon as possible – even if it’s in a modified capacity. 

Reporting Time

Injuries should be reported within 24 hours whenever possible so the injured employee can receive quick and proper treatment. If you notice a pattern of a long time between when an injury occurs and when it is reported, you may need to look at additional safety training for management.

Open Claims

The longer a claim is open, the more it costs you, so your goal should be to close claims as quickly as possible. Any open claims should be monitored closely.

Litigation

A large percentage of litigated claims could be a red flag. It could be an indication that employees are dissatisfied with their employer or their job. If you see a large percentage of litigated claims on your loss run report, you may want to consider how well management communicates with employees, your business culture, or other areas that can cause discontent among employees.

How to Lower Your Workers’ Compensation Insurance Costs

They say “knowledge is power,” which is certainly true when it comes to lowering your Workers’ Compensation costs. If you don’t know there’s a problem, you can’t fix it. A Loss Run Report can help identify potential issues that you can address to improve your company’s bottom line.

Working with an independent agent with experience in WC insurance – as the agents at American Insuring Group do – is another way to lower your WC costs. We will compare costs and options among competing worker's compensation insurance carriers to be sure you get the right insurance at the best price. Call today at (800) 947-1270 or (610) 775-3848, or connect with us online.

Minimizing injuries in the workplace benefits everyone – from a better quality of life for employees to higher productivity and lower Workers Compensation Insurance costs for employers. Therefore, keeping employees safe should be a top priority for any employer. One way to keep employees safe is with proper personal protective equipment (PPE). 

What is Personal Protective Equipment?

PPE is equipment employees wear to minimize exposure to hazards that can cause injuries and illnesses in the workplace. PPE is designed to protect employees from chemical, electrical, physical, and other workplace hazards. Examples of PPE include gloves, hard hats, safety glasses, earplugs, facemasks, etc. 

To be effective, PPE must be safely designed and constructed, and properly maintained. PPE must fit workers properly, or it can create a hazard. And employees must be trained on how to use PPE correctly, including the following:

• When PPE is necessary
• What type of PPE is needed
• How to wear PPE correctly
• How to properly maintain PPE
• The limitations of PPE 

OSHA Employer Obligations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) states, “…when engineering, work practice, and administrative controls are not feasible or do not provide sufficient protection, employers must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to you and ensure its use.” 

Employers cannot require employees to provide their own PPE, and – with very few exceptions - employers must pay for PPE that is needed to comply with OSHA standards. 

Types of PPE Protection

Determining the type of hazard is the first step in choosing what types of PPE are required to keep employees safe. OSHA recognizes six types of hazards that may require PPE: 

Eye and Face

OSHA requires eye and face protection when employees are exposed to hazards such as flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, potentially infected material, or potentially harmful light radiation. The following are common types of eye and face protection:

• Protective eyeglasses
• Goggles
• Welding Shields
• Laser Safety Goggles
• Face Shields

Head

A head injury can be fatal or affect an employee for life. Employees must wear head protection – such as hard hats or helmets - if any of the following apply:

• Objects could fall from above and strike an employee on the head
• An employee could bump their head on fixed objects, such as exposed beams or pipes
• There is any chance the employee could accidentally have head contact with any electrical hazards. 

OSHA identifies three industrial classes of hard hats:

• Class A hard hats provide impact and penetration resistance along with limited voltage protection (up to 2,200 volts).
• Class B hard hats provide the highest level of protection against electrical hazards, with high-voltage shock and burn protection (up to 20,000 volts). They also offer protection from impact and penetration hazards by flying/falling objects.
• Class C hard hats provide lightweight comfort and impact protection but offer no protection from electrical hazards. 

Foot and Leg

Employees may require foot and leg protection if a hazard assessment reveals possible exposure to the following:

• hot, corrosive, or poisonous materials
• Falling or rolling objects
• Electrical hazards 

Examples of foot and leg PPE include the following:

• Leggings
• Metatarsal Guards
• Toe Guards
• Combination Foot and Shin Guards
• Safety Shoes can include electrically conductive shoes, safety-toe shoes, non-slip shoes, etc. 

Hand and Arm

If there is any possibility that an employee could experience injury to their hands and arms that cannot be eliminated through engineering and work practice controls, PPE – in the form of the correct type of gloves – should be worn. 

To be effective, suitable gloves must be used based on the hazard. Types of gloves may include the following:

• Leather
• Aluminized
• Aramid Fiber
• Synthetic
• Fabric
• Coated Fabric
• Butyl
• Natural Rubber
• Neoprene
• Nitrile 

Body

Hazards that can cause bodily injury should first be eliminated by engineering and work practice whenever possible. When those hazards - such as extreme temperatures, impact from tools, machinery, and materials, hazardous chemicals, or hot splashes from molten metals and other hot liquids – are present, appropriate protective clothing must be worn. Depending on the hazard, body protection may include lab coats, vests, aprons, coveralls, vests, full body suits, etc. 

Hearing

Employees exposed to excessive noise that can affect their hearing should be issued hearing protection, such as single-use earplugs, pre-formed or molded earplugs, or earmuffs. When assessing hearing hazards, OSHA recommends considering the following factors:

• The loudness of the noise as measured in decibels (dB).
• The duration of each employee’s exposure to the noise.
• Whether employees move between work areas with different noise levels.
• Whether noise is generated from one or multiple sources. 

How to Save More on Workers Compensation Insurance

Creating a safe work environment is your first line of defense against high WC costs. Working with an experienced agent who understands the complexities of WC insurance – such as the independent agents at American Insuring Group - should be your second line of defense. Give us a call today at (800) 947-1270 or (610) 775-3848 or connect with us online.