Safety professionals are generally aware of and engaged with both OSHA regulations and their company policies regarding employee safety and health. However, awareness and engagement with the worker's compensation programs may not be as common. Safety professionals can favorably influence not only the safety and health of the employees within their company, but also can have a major impact on the success of their worker's compensation program by being integrated with their worker's compensation team. Knowledge of the company worker's compensation program by safety professionals also enhances their ability to manage employee safety and health by providing additional insight into the risks that are creating losses within their organization. This paper not only offers insight into the design and function of worker's compensation programs, but also offers some compelling reasons for safety professionals to consider regarding the potential impact that they can have on the performance of their organizations worker's compensation program.
As safety professionals know more about worker's compensation claims and the factors that lead to these claims, the more they can contribute to the successful control of employee safety and health hazards and the risk of occupational injury and illness. In 2013, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) created the NIOSH Center for Worker's Compensation Studies (CWCS). NIOSH was created to go along with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. This integrated approach is the same approach safety professionals need to take. The NIOSH Center for Worker's Compensation Studies was established to help us better predict and manage risk, to save money for companies. The findings of this initiative have demonstrated the need for occupational safety and health professionals to expand their base of knowledge and increase their informational resources in order to increase the impact of their professional efforts.
