IMWCA tells Crawford County it must 'turbocharge' safety committees after rising workers' comp losses
Loading...
Summary
IMWCA officials told the Board of Supervisors that the county's workers' compensation losses have risen and proposed a two-year intensive safety program requiring monthly documented safety committees, incident reviews and training; the board agreed to consider the proposed engagement and review the draft for action.
Representatives from the Iowa Municipalities Workers' Compensation Association (IMWCA) presented a warning and a plan after analyzing Crawford County's recent loss history. IMWCA said the county's experience modification (mod) moved from roughly 0.68 to 0.81 and is projected at about 1.04 if trends continue, producing higher premiums and lost discounts. IMWCA described a two-year "high level risk management" plan that would require the county to reinvigorate and document safety committees across departments, implement incident analysis, schedule regular training, and appoint or support department-level safety coordinators.
Dean Shade of IMWCA told supervisors the approach is practical and prescriptive: incident reviews, monthly minutes and roll calls, targeted training to address repeating causes of injuries and quarterly audits would be part of the plan. He said IMWCA would work hands-on with the county and that some jurisdictions that failed to meet the program requirements either extended the program or voluntarily left until they corrected problems. The association estimated meaningful premium reductions for jurisdictions that implemented the program successfully.
Supervisors asked for further details and quarterly reporting and signaled support for moving forward; IMWCA agreed to leave a draft agreement for supervisors to review and come back for final approval. Board and staff said they would examine the proposed schedule, reporting mechanics and costs before committing.
