1

ASSOCIATION COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF GEORGIA

GROUP SELF-INSURANCE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION FUND

LOSS CONTROL AND SAFETY INCENTIVE DISCOUNT PROGRAM

Members of the ACCG-GSIWCF who comply with the following loss control and safety incentive requirements will be eligible to receive anadditional 7.5% discount on their 2005 discounted annual premium. You may have similar procedures in place, or even more comprehensive procedures in place. These requirements are not meant to replace your current program but to enhance the one that already exists or to provide a basic guideline for those members who have not implemented these basic loss control and safety procedures.

The standards that must be complied with between January 1, 2004 and September 1, 2004 in order to receive the 7.5% discount in 2005 are as follows:

  1. As required by the GSIWCF’s Intrastate Agreement (the membership agreement your organization signed when joining the Fund), a safety coordinator must be appointed by the member. The safety coordinator may be any appropriate person who works at the organization. A new position does not need to be created in order to comply with these standards. The safety coordinator is responsible for working with the department heads and/or supervisors to coordinate the following:
  • Attend Safety Coordinator I, II, or III through Local Government Risk Management Services (LGRMS) during the 12 months preceding the August 1, 2004 cutoff date. The Safety Coordinator training series does not need to be repeated, as long as the Safety Coordinator does not change. Safety Coordinators are required to take one Safety Coordinator class per year, until they have completed the series. Once all three sessions have been attended, the Safety Coordinator will not be required to attend further training. In the event a new Safety Coordinator is appointed by the member, the new Coordinator will need to start over, beginning with Safety Coordinator I.
  • Establishing and coordinating quarterly safety meetings and self inspections to identify safety related hazards.
  • Coordinating and implementing safety rules and training for supervisors and employees and/or making recommendations to management regarding such items.
  • Reviewing and/or investigating all employee accidents for causes and making documented recommendations for improvements and corrections.
  • Conducting periodic safety self inspections of all vehicles, buildings, grounds, equipment and machinery, and work practices and conditions to determine potential injury exposures.
  • Documenting and maintaining inspection records and implementing any follow up actions.
  1. As required by the GSIWCF’s Intrastate Agreement, a minimum of four safety/accident review meetings must be held each year. We recommend that you have these meetings quarterly. If all four of the meetings have not taken place by September 1, 2004 when the verification form needs to be sent to us, please make sure that the fourth meeting has been scheduled to take place by the end of 2004. A record of the meetings, such as notes, minutes or a brief description of the topic and list of attendees, should be maintained on file as documentation of the meeting.
  1. The member must make a reasonable, good-faith effort to return an injured worker to work at a modified job if approved by the doctor. That is, if an employee is injured and is unable to perform his normal job duties, the member must have a policy to encourage their various departments to accommodate the use of transitional employment for that employee during their recovery period. For example, if a road department employee has a back injury and cannot stand for more than two hours, the member must make a reasonable effort to find a modified duty for that person. The Claims Department will notify the member when an employee has been released to modified duty, but it will be the member’s responsibility to make a reasonable search to determine if a county position is available.

4.One or more representatives from your organization must attend a minimum of one free training seminar or workshop conducted by Local Government Risk Management Services. This is in addition to the Safety Coordinator training outlined above. The training does not have to be specific to workers’ compensation. It can be on any topic LGRMS presents. The member agrees to cooperate and support the efforts of the GSIWCF’s safety and loss control programs as administered by LGRMS.

5.The member shall adopt the following personnel and administrative procedures:

  • As required by Georgia law, the member must post and continuously maintain a valid Panel of Physicians notice in prominent places at each work site.
  • As required by Georgia law, the member must post workers’ compensation Bill of Rights notices in several prominent places at the work site.
  • The member must explain the Panel of Physicians notice and the Bill of Rights to each new employee. The member must have each new employee sign a form stating that this has been done.
  • The member must complete a post offer of employment medical inquiry for each new employee and maintain it in a file separate from the employee’s personnel file. See attached sample form entitled, “Post Offer of Employment Medical Inquiry.”

The post offer of employment medical inquiry form is needed to help the GSIWCF secure reimbursement from the Georgia Subsequent Injury Trust Fund for money paid to or on behalf of your injured employee and where the claim is associated with an injury that occurred or a medical condition that existed prior to the time of employment at your organization. In order to receive reimbursement from the Subsequent Injury Trust Fund you must have knowledge of the impairment or condition that existed prior to an on the job injury or disability that occurred while employed by you. Having new employees complete the post offer of employment medical inquiry form will prove your knowledge of the pre-existing injury or condition and allow the GSIWCF to be reimbursed. Money recovered is credited to your organization’s loss experience and may reduce the cost of your workers’ compensation premium. Due, in part, to the active participation of the membership in completing the medical inquiry forms, the GSIWCF recovered $1.7 million dollars from the Subsequent Injury Trust Fund in 2001 which has been credited to the membership.

6.The member shall implement a drug free workplace program to, at a minimum, include the following:

  • A written drug free workplace policy regarding drug or alcohol use in the workplace.
  • A notice on all employment applications and/or in the personnel policy stating that the member maintains a drug free workplace.
  • It is recommended, but not required by this discount, that as a humanitarian effort your organization maintain a resource file of providers for employee assistance such as drug and alcohol abuse programs. When requested, the organization should inform its employees of the availability of this resource file. A request for access to the resource list should remain strictly confidential. Your organization is not responsible for paying for its employees’ assistance. Helpline Georgia provides crisis intervention, statewide information and referral resources 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, toll free. Their number is 1 (800) 338-6745.

It has been proven that drug and alcohol use in the workplace increases absenteeism and employee turnover and decreases productivity and employee moral. Further, it has been found that 38-50% of all workers’ compensation claims are related to substance abuse. Substance abusers file twice as many claims as non abusers. Medical costs for substance abusers have been found to be 300% higher than for non abusers. The GSIWCF encourages you to implement the above minimum drug free workplace requirements in order to save your organization money and to prevent accidents and injuries to your employees.

We highly recommend that you have your attorney or other legal representative assist you in implementing any drug testing procedures you may wish to include in your drug free workplace program. Public employers, unlike private sector employers, are more limited in the type of drug testing and policies they may adopt. If you have any questions about implementing the drug free workplace policy or any of the other requirements for this discount please contact Dave Gelsthorpe at LGRMS. He and/or his staff will be glad to help you.

7. Members are required to respond within ninety (90) days to LGRMS in the event safety recommendations are made following a loss control visit. Although the recommendations do not necessarily have to be followed by the member, there must be a reason that no action was taken or a plan in place to correct the deficiency.

The enclosed Verification form which confirms that the requirements have been met must be received by the ACCG-GSIWCF by September 1, 2004 in order to receive the discount in 2005.