Vigilant Blog

News, trends and analysis in employment law, HR, safety & workers' comp

Showing posts for: Workers’ Comp

Photo of Manish Gooneratne
Apr 25 2022
Featured Worker’s CompSafety and HealthWorkers’ Comp  

Pssst! The secret to lowering workers’ comp premiums

The most impactful way to lower workers’ compensation costs, the secret ingredient if you will, is to prevent injuries in the first place. The Vigilant safety team spends all day everyday doing just that with hundreds of companies. We’ve learned 4 key things about preventing injuries: Establish and maintain a culture of care. At…

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Photo of Dan Beaty
Mar 22 2022
Featured Worker’s CompWorkers’ Comp  

Keep good company for large retro refunds

Receiving consistently large Retro refunds requires being in good company. When evaluating your current Retro program or investigating in a Retro for the first time, a critical component to consider is the company you will keep. For any Retro program to deliver consistently strong premium refunds, it must surround you…

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Photo of Lorraine Amrine
Feb 17 2022
Q&ACOVID-19Leave LawsWorkers’ Comp  

Q&A: Be aware of employment protections for COVID-19 absences

Question: Early in the pandemic, we didn’t discipline for absences related to COVID-19 (coronavirus). With all that’s changed since then, can we return to our regular attendance policy? Answer: Not so fast. In any state, if an employee quarantines or isolates due to a workplace exposure, the employee may have protection under state…

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Photo of Lorraine Amrine
Jan 20 2022
COVID-19Safety and HealthWorkers’ Comp  

Q&A: Keep on top of COVID-19 protocols

Question: As we enter this new phase of the pandemic, it seems like everyone is going to get sick. With the vaccination mandate effectively dead, do we need to care anymore? Answer: Yes! It’s been a long haul, and pandemic fatigue is real, but employers still have an obligation to monitor and…

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Photo of Manish Gooneratne
Nov 18 2021
Safety and HealthWorkers’ Comp  

Understaffed and overworked? Apply these safety measures

How do we keep our employees safe when we’re understaffed and overworked, and our employees are feeling the associated mental and physical fatigue? If you’re like most of Vigilant’s members, you’re feeling the pressure of the times—more work than you have the resources to fulfil, making you feel behind and in “catch-up mode” most of the…

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Photo of Karen Davis
Nov 04 2021
Q&ACOVID-19DisabilityEmployee BenefitsLeave LawsSafety and HealthWorkers’ Comp  

Q&A: Know how to respond to positive COVID-19 result

Question: My employee says they tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus). There have been so many changes to the requirements that I’m not sure what I should do anymore. Please help! Answer: Start with current federal guidance and then check your state and local requirements. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) web page on…

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Photo of Jodi Slavik
Aug 27 2021
Featured Worker’s CompLeave LawsTermination & ResignationWorkers’ Comp  

Legal Corner: Avoid These Three Workers’ Comp Mistakes

I advise Washington employers A LOT about discipline and terminations. One of my recent calls went like this: “Hi, we have a two-year employee who has horrible attendance and a bad attitude. No one likes working with her. She always complains about anxiety, and last week she was a no-call, no-show. When…

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Photo of Dan Beaty
Jul 07 2021
Featured Worker’s CompWorkers’ Comp  

Workers’ comp FAQs from June

Got workers’ comp questions? We’ve got answers. It’s hard to keep track of all the Workers’ Compensation acronyms, definitions, best practices and more! So we’re sharing a few frequently asked questions we recently received from our Vigilant Manufacturing Retro members. What is Standard Premium; is it the same premium I pay to L&I? Standard premium is the…

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Photo of Kara Craig
Jun 17 2021
Q&AFeatured Worker’s CompLeave LawsWorkers’ Comp  

Q&A: Does compliance with workers’ comp satisfy FMLA obligations?

Question: Our employee was injured at work and needs to be off work for two months. The employee filed a workers’ compensation claim, which was accepted. The plant manager told the employee that medical leave is covered by workers’ comp and to call when they’re cleared to come back to work. Are we missing…

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Photo of Dan Beaty
May 18 2021
Featured Worker’s CompWorkers’ Comp  

Lower your work comp premium - do two things first

Question: “What action can we take to lower our upfront workers' comp premium? Where do we even start?” Answer: From Vigilant's VP of Workers' Comp, Dan Beaty. I get asked this question daily. My reply? We're here to help, and here's a hint: high frequency/impact injuries, and a strategic use of kept-on-salary(KOS). To lower upfront cost of premium and…

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