Dear Washington Manufacturer, The most recent letter in our series on deconstructing a 30% Retro refund highlighted the positive impact of customized and dedicated loss prevention services. This letter shares why sophisticated claims management strategies have a similar effect: lowering upfront premiums and increasing Retro refunds. We acknowledge and sympathize with the…
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Dear Washington Manufacturer, You’re invited to apply for participation in Vigilant’s best-in-class Manufacturing Retrospective Rating Program—members are projected to receive a 30% refund for the most recent Retro plan year. Because of the elite composition of the manufacturers in our program, our use of proprietary data analytics, and our staff’s dedication, we expect that number to…
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This is the second in a series of letters deconstructing Vigilant’s projected 30% refund for the most recent Retro plan year. In the first letter we focused on demystifying the black box of the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) workers’ compensation system. This letter shares why a 30% refund starts with a…
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Dear Washington Manufacturer, Vigilant’s most recent Retro plan year is projected to earn a 30% premium refund. This is the result of obsessing and hard work. Over the next several weeks, our team will begin to deconstruct achieving a 30% refund, beginning with this letter from me on demystifying the “Black Box of L&I’s…
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a directive on December 10, 2019, updating its National Emphasis Program (NEP) focusing agency inspections on amputation hazards in manufacturing industries. These updates don’t create any new requirements for employers but focus agency enforcement on these hazards. Among other steps, the directive allows area…
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A sole proprietor of a tree-trimming business was ordered to pay $66,986 in penalties after an employee was killed by a wood chipper on his first day on the job. A crew of four workers, including the new employee, met in the morning at the owner’s house. Two of the workers were…
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In two separate cases, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued six-figure citations against employers that failed to plan ahead for foreseeable emergency situations. The employers have 15 business days to comply with the citations, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or challenge the findings before the Occupational…
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Question: We have an employee out on leave to recover from a workplace injury. Are we supposed to keep her on our health insurance plan? Answer: It depends on whether the employee’s leave is protected by federal or state leave laws in addition to workers’ compensation. State workers’ comp laws generally don’t require employers to…
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A Georgia company was found in violation of federal child labor laws prohibiting hazardous occupations for minors when it employed a 15-year-old to operate a power-driven weed cutter. Sadly, the teen drowned while cutting brush along a river. During its investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) also found the…
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In the aftermath of a welder’s death on the job, an oilfield company pled guilty to a willful violation of federal safety standards requiring tanks to be cleaned before welding. The welder was 28 years old and had recently moved to North Dakota to work in the oil industry after serving in…
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