Excellence in Safety Efforts: Why Size Doesn't Matter

I received an e-mail from an astute reader about National Underwriter’s recent recognition of three large companies for their loss control and injury management excellence. One of the points he made was that no matter the size of the company, the benefit of an injury-free workforce is exactly the same. The issues associated with on-the-job accidents such as medical costs and lost work time affect large and small operations in the same manner.

Now that's not to say that a mega-company with 150,000 people on the payroll won’t have it a little easier replacing somebody than a 15 person healthcare facility, but it's still an expense and creates a ripple effect in the workforce.

Annually, my company, MEMIC, recognizes top policyholders who strive for workers’ comp excellence. Nominations are made in the areas of workplace safety and claims management. A lot of these companies are not that large. But the true beneficiary—the workers—are the winners no matter how many are employed.

At the link listed below, you can see for yourself which large companies were awarded. I know you will recognize some of them, but the thing that stood out for me was at the end of the article. It's an overview of how each approached workplace safety. They aren't large corporate secrets or expensive initiatives. They are the very basics, proving size does not matter when you use proven approaches.

NUWC Risk Management Award Winners Share Secrets of Success