Tip of the Month: Does Your Provider Have Transitional Work Programs?

The horse is moving...It's been an "inside" Ryan Staffing joke for years. A long time ago we had a client that used the shape of a racing horse moving along a race track to measure the facilities accident record...specifically lost time accidents.

To make a long story short, Ryan Staffing employees were dropping like flies working in the plant (24 in 1999!) but the horse never moved. We stopped working with this
company soon after the non-moving horse.

You see, the plant management had incentives tied in their safety record. And, in their mind, if the accident didn't involve one of their own employees it was as though it didn't happen.

In prior tips" we've already discussed the co-employment safety issues and the OSHA reporting responsibilities of temp users. What we haven't discussed is the importance of working with a staffing provider that has an aggressive transitional work program for temps injured on the job at the client location.

Obviously it's in the best interest of all parties to an industrial accident to provide a safe place to work. Unfortunately that isn't always enough and injuries do happen. Getting the injured employee back to work as quickly as possible should be the goal of both the provider and the client.

To keep the horse from moving at you facility asks yourself
the following about your current staffing provider:

1. Does your provider aggressively investigate all workplace accidents including site visits, witness statements, photographs, etc.? Do they perform post accident drug tests? Are credible legal and medical professionals utilized to analyze the legitimacy of the claim? Is your provider willing to challenge questionable claims all the way in the court system if need be?

Not putting the rubber stamp to all injury claims filed by employees of staffing companies eliminates about 50 percent of potential lost time claims.

2. Assuming a claim is valid, does your provider partner aggressively with its MCO to settle on a course of treatment and to secure return to work restrictions? Do they follow-up to make sure treatment plans are being followed? Are medical
records obtained quickly for future use?

3. Does your service have a transitional work program in place to get injured workers back to work doing something? Is your provider willing to offer you financial incentives to return a "restricted" employee back to work at your facility? (i.e reducing the bill rate by 50 percent)

So why is this so important? The Ohio Bureau of Worker's compensation states that the quicker you get an injured worker back in to the
flow of regular activities the less costly it is to the employer. In the case of staffing providers it allows them to hold the line on the bill rate charged to their client.

Returning the worker to full duty status quickly decreases the chances of the employee seeking out legal representation which can be costly to both the client and provider.

And last but not least, a solid transitional approach can stop the horse from moving...or at least slow it down. The impact here depends on goals and incentives in place at your facility involving safety performance.