One component of a Return to Work Plan, and a good way to get employees working again as soon as possible, is to provide a light-duty option, often called a transitional job. Taking a little time to think through at least the outlines of how you can accommodate someone who … Read More
When an employee gets injured seriously enough to miss work, it seems easiest for them to stay at home until they are completely ready to return to work. But doing so has costs to the employee and employer that should be considered, costs that can be ameliorated by a company … Read More
If an employee makes a complaint about your business – discrimination, safety violations, harassment, financial irregularities – your next and possibly bigger problem is avoiding a retaliation claim. Whether or not the original complaint was true or validated, an employee can claim that you retaliated against them for the complaint … Read More
Developing a written safety plan can take time, but there are some quick things you can add to an employee manual, procedures binder, or even job descriptions that can help your employees stay safe. Think about the small, easy things employees can do to prevent accidents, especially slips, trips, and … Read More
There are lots of reason to focus on safety in a business, starting with taking care of employees and reducing their families’ distress. But there is a bottom-line argument for it, too: as injuries go down, profit goes up. Worker’s Comp premiums go down. Product quality goes up. Less time … Read More
If Montana’s injury rate matched the national average, it would save businesses $145 million annually. Improving worker safety isn’t about changing employees; usually it is about system failures that can be corrected. In this, it is similar to lean manufacturing’s view that 94% of all quality problems are caused by … Read More
The Montana Safety Culture Act requires companies with more than five employees to have a Safety Committee. Considerately, it spells out exactly what is meant by a Safety Committee and even gives a list of what should be discussed in meetings. They do try to make it easy! The purpose … Read More
Montana passed a Montana Safety Culture Act in 1993 that places requirements on companies to take care of their employees and keep them safe. Luckily, for the smallest companies, it is pretty much what a conscientious employer would mostly be doing anyway (well, except for the documentation), if only to … Read More