Safety Groups - Everyone Can Profit When the Best
Help the Worst
(Taken from Cosntruction Safety Magazine, Construction Safety
Association of Ontario, Vol. 11, No. 1, Spring 2000)
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Construction
Safety Association of Ontario
Safety Groups offer Ontario contractors an opportunity to improve safety
performance and increase revenue at the same time. The program has been
introduced on a trial basis by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
(WSIB) in construction and other sectors.
Companies participating
in Safety Groups find safety in numbers. They pool resources, share best
practices, help one another improve accident prevention performance, and,
for insurance purposes, gain the advantages of being treated as one large
firm.
The motivation to
participate comes in part through revenue incentives. Companies in a Safety
Group have the opportunity to receive WSIB rebates based on both individual
and group performance.
Safety Groups must
have a minimum combined premium level of $250,000 and include at least
40 companies. The companies must
- be in good standing
with the WSIB
- participate for
at least one full year
- belong to only
one group at a time
- include at least
25% poor safety performers.
The WSIB provides information
on establishing and operating Safety Groups. But it's up to participating
companies to set and meet group objectives.
Typical objectives
for a Safety Group might include
- specified reductions
in injury frequency
- ensuring that
good performers mentor poor performers
- following an
evaluation plan to gauge how well participants meet goals
- taking advantage
of CSAO products and services
- developing hazard
control and return-to-work programs
- participating
in health and safety training.
The important thing
to remember is that Safety Groups are not launched and then left to sink
or swim. The WSIB provides assistance through cost and injury data, evaluation
guidelines, a tool kit for group administrators, compliance audits, and
other services.
To support Safety
Groups, the Construction Safety Association of Ontario (CSAO)
- provides information
that can be used to help define goals and performance measures
- delivers training
where requested
- teaches firms
to conduct safety profiles
- explains hazard
assessment and control
- identifies injury
trends
- helps companies
develop or improve health and safety policies and programs.
Participating firms
continue to be individually experience-rated and eligible for WSIB rebates.
But they are also evaluated collectively as one big company and can benefit
from further adjustments. Awards are directly proportionate to what each
firm pays in premiums. Individual firms may still be surcharged but the
group as a whole is not penalized by surcharges..
Participating companies
work together, sharing their know-how and experience. Benefits can include
- reduced WSIB claims
and costs
- increased financial
stability
- improved experience
rating
- competitive edge
in bidding
- better employee
morale and productivity
- enhanced company
image and reputation.
It's worth a serious
look
The WSIB approved
the establishment of ten Safety Groups among all industries. But contractors
showed so much interest in the pilot program that five groups were initially
allocated for construction alone.
Four associations
have since proceeded to establish Safety Groups:
- Hamilton Construction
Association
- Masonry Industry
Employers Council of Ontario
- Mechanical Contractors
Association of Ontario
- Ontario General
Contractors Association (OGCA).
Other construction organizations
are taking a serious look at Safety Groups. There are five good reasons
for doing so.
1. Expand Membership
Participating associations
not only help existing members improve health and safety performance but
can also expand their membership by attracting new companies to the Safety
Groups they sponsor.
2. Earn Immediate Returns
All contractors taking
part in Safety Groups have an opportunity to earn an immediate return
on investment through lower WSIB premiums. Contractors outside Safety
Groups can lower premiums by improving health and safety performance.
But the process takes several years. As members of a Safety Group, however,
they can reap benefits now.
3. Keep It Confidential
Safety Groups decide
how sensitive information on injury frequency, payroll, and assessments
will be handled and distributed. The administrator chosen by the group
may be the only person who sees this information, which is used on behalf
of the group generally but need not be handed out to everyone.
4. Train Where and When
You Need It
Health and safety
training is one way of making a difference in accident prevention. But
that doesn't mean hours in the classroom. CSAO can help safety groups
by delivering short courses designed to meet specific needs. Information
for home study will be increasingly available via CD, Internet, and training
kits.
5. Benefit from a Win/Win
Situation
Contractors stand
to gain a double advantage from the two-tier system adopted by the WSIB.
Basically this means that participating firms can earn rebates based on
both the overall performance of the Safety Group and their
own individual records.
This paper appears in the eLCOSH
website with the permission of the author and/or copyright holder and
may not be reproduced without their consent. eLCOSH is an information
clearinghouse. eLCOSH and its sponsors are not responsible for the accuracy
of information provided on this web site, nor for its use or misuse.
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