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Ohio Workers’ Compensation Board weighs in on safety training

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) has long required that employers of workers who have sustained on-the-job injuries satisfy safety training requirements by having a company representative attend a two-hour training session. The goal is to underscore the importance of employees’ safety in the workplace, review accident causes and company policies and improve workplace injury outcomes in the future.

The BWC believes that the central aims promoted by that requirement are further promoted by providing companies with a new training alternative, specifically, the option going forward for an employer to complete accident analysis and safety training online.

The online training option will consist of two parts, namely, an employer’s filling out of an accident analysis form followed by completion of a computer safety class.

“By better understanding the circumstances that led to an accident, an employer is better able to take appropriate action to prevent similar injuries in the future,” says BWC Administrator Steve Buehrer in regard to the analysis and training activities.

Safety officials believe that the online training might be particularly well-suited for the quick compilation of relevant injury information, which will in turn enable the BWC to identify any worrisome trends and take remedial action to better protect Ohio workers.

Notwithstanding the best efforts of regulators to promote workplace safety, injuries do regularly occur in all types of work environments in Ohio, necessitating the need for injured employees to secure lawfully entitled workers’ compensation and other benefits they may be entitled to as the result of employee and/or third-party negligence.

An experienced Ohio workers’ compensation attorney can answer questions and thoroughly investigate an injury claim or case.

Source: Claims Journal, “Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Comp expands safety training options,” Dec. 3, 2012