Eye Protectionis it worth the risk?

At a recent meeting of the Board, the Directors reviewed a significant eye injury that could have been prevented had the employee been wearing eye protection.

Workplace injuries have multiple effects. Employees are the most directly impacted by injuries, but the employees family, his co-workers, and his employer are also involved. The costs to the employee include fear of the unknown, pain, disfigurement, reduced earnings, and eventual loss of sight among others.

The costs to the employer are significant as well. Indirect costs to the employer include the cost to search for and hire a replacement worker, reduced production until the position is filled, and the cost to train the new employee are all borne by the employer. And thats just some of the employers costs.

Direct costs include the impact on the employers workers compensation program. How will this impact the employers costs? In this example, the employers annual premium is about $120,000 and this claim is reserved at $116,000. He will see a 10 point increase on his Experience Modification and a five point increase in the ARAP Surchargefor three years! The increase in direct workers compensation costs alone is about $17,000 annually, or $54,000 over three years.

Its imperative that employers establish and enforce policies that require the use of eye protection where appropriate. The impact of eye injuries can be devastating to the employee and employer alike, and can be prevented in most cases by the proper use of eye protection.

If you need assistance on implementing an eye protection program please feel free to contact the AICCs dedicated loss prevention consultant, John Quirk at 774-306-1836. Thank you for your continued support of the AICC workers compensation group.

Joe Blanche Phillip HealyAdministrator Executive Director