BWC News

12 Ohio Employers Honored for Exemplary Programs

Twelve businesses from around Ohio recently received the Governor's Excellence in Workers' Compensation awards, which recognizes employers who provide safe workplaces, while supporting their injured workers with return-to-work opportunities and other claims management strategies. The honorees include public employers, state-fund employers, the self-insured, and an award for the most improved employer.

The 12 winners are:

• Lake Metroparks, Concord Township, which takes the roughly $100,000 it saves each year through group rating, and invests it in employee safety programs, training and equipment.

• Chillicothe City Schools, Chillicothe, which involve the board of education, administration and staff in cooperative safety programs.

• Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, which offers extensive modified-duty jobs and wage-continuation programs.

• Jones-Hamilton Co., Walbridge, for going more than 2,100 consecutive days without a lost-time injury claim.

• IMCO Recycling Inc., Uhrichsville, which combines education, training and a team approach to address employee safety and health.

• Hancor Inc., Findlay, which has a labor-management Central Safety Committee, conducts safety audits, and has developed several of its own training videos.

• Shalom House Inc., Columbus, which has implemented a number of ergonomic improvements at its intermediate care/mental retardation facilities, conducts its own ergonomic risk assessments, and has a system of supervisory accountability for safety.

• General Tool Co., Cincinnati, a contract manufacturer that is notable for allocating resources to safety improvements, developing and following safe work practices, and encouraging employee involvement.

• BWXT of Ohio Inc., Miamisburg, where employees are involved in work planning, hazard mitigation and safety inspections, and each employee has a personal safety training plan based on his or her job duties.

• Jenkins Memorial Health Facility, Wellston, which has focused on preventing accidents and decreasing lost time while providing optimal care in the not-for-profit nursing facility.

• Viox Services Inc., Cincinnati, a facility management firm where accident costs, both injuries and property damage, are charged back to managers' budgets and used as part of their annual salary review.

• Von Roll America, East Liverpool, a hazardous waste incinerator that received "most improved" recognition for its focus on injury prevention and implementation of the state's transitional work grants and drug-free workplace programs.