CASE STUDY
Better HR helps manufacturer Lower MOD
Insured
An ice cream manufacturer with 12 employees and revenues of $2.8 million.
Situation
The company had an Experience Mod of 1.9, which was more than three times
what it should be.
Assessment
A team of Certified WorkComp Advisors (CWCAs) reviewed the business.
It was determined that the elevated MOD was due to several open claims,
which were a direct result of poor hiring procedures. The company had
failed to put in place a system of pre-employment background checks and
physicals. As a result, at least two employees had come on payroll with
existing soft tissue injuries to the back and shoulder, a condition further
aggravated by the cold temperatures they were often subjected to on the
job. In addition, no light duty return-to-work program was ever implemented.
Solution
The CWCAs initiated a better hiring procedure, which included partnering
with physicians and medical offices familiar with occupational medicine.
Drug screening was also put into place, as was an aggressive return-to-work
program in which injured workers could take on restricted duties away
from the cold areas. Safety training was also implemented, as was the
formation of a safety panel.
Result
Because of these actions, both open claims were closed and the MOD dropped
to .80, with a net result in savings of $60,000-$85,000. Since the
new hiring procedures were put into place, the company now employees 26
workers. |