AlaCOMP

October 2021

Making Every Claim a Big Deal

What are some of the various impacts an insurance claim has on a cmpany?  Maybe it is a minor vehicle accident.  No injuries so no big deal, right?  Well, that is where, as a company, you could go horribly wrong.  Every claim that occurs within an organization must be a huge deal!  In fact, it needs to be the single most significant event that happened on that day.  You might ask why should we make minor accidents a big deal? As the old saying goes, "don't make a mountain out of a molehill."  If an organization fails to make a big deal out of minor incidents, it can set a bad precedent.  The safety culture of an organization can very well be dictated by how the organization responds to minor incidents and near misses.  Make each one of these a big deal within the company.  Sound the alarms and ring the bells letting everyone know that an incident has occurred, and some insurance claim will have to be filed!

Minor vehicle accidents, property damage, general liability, and workers' compensation claims all impact a company's bottom line.  In most cases, there are deductibles to be paid, equipment to be repaired, damaged or destroyed cargo, and in worst-case scenarios, the lost time of an injured employee.  Let's talk about that worst-case scenario briefly.

What are some of the financial ramifications associated with a workers' compensation claim?  There will be the cost associated with lost productivity, recruiting and training a new employee, and even decreased morale of the other employees due to the injury of a co-worker.  These costs are not line items in an organization's budget, yet they directly impact its bottom line.  So, the question comes up, how do we make every claim a big deal?  One area to start in is not allowing it to be a foregone conclusion that a "company will have claims "or "oh well, that's what we have insurance for."  This mentality fosters an atmosphere of reaction and not being proactive, which can place a company's safety culture in a lull.  Below are some tips on making every claim a big deal and developing a proactive safety attitude. 

Involve, everyone!  A claim should have the attention of everyone in the organization, from the front-line employees up to the highest levels of management.  Send an email notifying every one of the events surrounding the incident, and do not hesitate to ask for input.  Make it the focal point of the day within the company!

Set up a post-accident review committee.  This committee should include a member of top-level management, the safety manager (or director), the affected employees' direct manager, a representative from the company’s human resource department, and the affected employee.  There are many ways these types of committees and meetings can be structured, but top-level management must be involved, and it must be a consistent formal process each time.  One thing to note about the committee meeting, especially if the affected employee is involved, is that it cannot be a "gotcha" type meeting or a finger-pointing session.  This meeting needs to be conducted as a fact-finding session to gather as much information as possible about the incident.  You will want to take this information and look for possible modes of corrective action to prevent another such incident from occurring.  You may be surprised at some of the information that comes out of these committee meetings;.  Maybe there are unsafe conditions at an offsite work location or customer location that you were unaware of, which needs to be addressed and corrected.  Maybe there was a violation of a safety rule of policy that will require some type of disciplinary action.  Either way, a determination should not be made until all the information has been gathered, the employee interviewed, and the information analyzed.

Encourage the reporting of "near miss incidents”.  This is an incident where something, on some level, went wrong, but an accident or injury did not occur - it almost did. Reporting these events immediately allows the company to shut down the process and evaluate the cause of a near miss before it becomes an accident.  Reporting a near miss could very well save a life!

During safety talks, discuss previous incidents.  Omit names to prevent violating privacy laws or creating an embarrassing situation for an employee but make everyone aware of the issue.  Use the event as a "teachable moment."

Make sure that every employee is involved in the safety process.  Everyone should feel some level of ownership in the safety program.  Drive home the message that safety is not just the safety manager's job; it is everyone's responsibility! 

Once all employees feel they have a vested interest in the company safety program, they will start to take claims and safety-related issues personally.  This is when a company's safety culture is beginning to reach new heights and will make the job of making every claim a big deal much easier.  Once you get to this point, though, it is very likely that you do not have many claims to make a big deal of!

One of the most effective tools that we have in our tool belt at AlaCOMP to reduce workplace accidents is the ability to compile large amounts of data that we can use to pinpoint areas of concern as it pertains to accidents and injuries.  Let’s take a moment to review some of the injury statistics through the first three quarters of 2021:

• 541 claims related to lifting/pushing/or pulling.
• 354 claims related to slips, trips, and falls.
• These accident causes resulted in 528 strains, sprains, or tears.

Slips, trips, falls, and lifting, pushing, and pulling injuries can all be avoidable accidents with proper employee training on safe work methods and hazard recognition skills.  Implementing the proper safety training can help to reduce these and other types of injuries in the workplace.  Training resources for both topics and many others can be found in the AlaCOMP Online Safety Library.

Having some insight on the top helpful tips is always a plus. Below we compiled the top 7 most helpful tips from our Loss Control Consultants and Claims adjuster that they thought is best to keep in mind when dealing with employee safety, employee claims and much more.

1. Document everything.  Whether it be safety meetings, employee training, disciplinary action, work related injuries where the employee refuses medical treatment, or near-miss incidents;, always keep documentation of the events as they occurred and where possible, have the employee sign the documentation as well. “If you didn’t document it, it didn’t happen.” 
2. Having the ability for employees to perform light duty is a very helpful, can assist in returning the employee back to work sooner and help to save the company money.
3. Be prepared with a plan in place – a Medical Protocol. Have your choice of general physician and emergency room preference ready before an accident occurs. 
4. Remember to perform annual safety training with ALL employees.
5. Make sure your safety training is specific to your personnel and potential safety hazards. 
6. Complete all fields in the first report and turn it in as soon as possible after the injury.  Then ensures that the claim can be handled quickly.
7. Communication is key. Keep an open communication with both your employee and with the adjuster. Things run smoother.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to our Loss Control Consultants or our Claims Department.

Online Safety Library

Have you had the opportunity to check out AlaCOMP’s Online Safety Library?  

The Online Safety Library contains over 9,000 different resources on various safety topics to assist your team’s safety efforts.  These resources consist of items such as written programs, handouts, checklists, PowerPoints, videos, and so much more.  To make this an even better offer, the AlaCOMP Online Safety Library is FREE to use for AlaCOMP members!  

To access the safety library, all you need to do is visit the and log in with your company credentials.  Please reach out the Loss Control Department for assistance with your login credentials or any other issues you may have.

The Online Safety Lbrary contains training materials from topics such as Accident Prevention-Investigation, Forklift Safety, Supervisor Training, and much more.  

To access the list of topics on the AlaCOMP Online Safety Library, follow these steps:

1.     Login to Online Safety Library with your company credentials.

2.     Select “Library File Index” on the left side of your screen

3.     Select “Topic Index”

4.     Explore a variety of safety topics to assist in your team’s safety efforts!

How you can implement the AlaCOMP Online Safety Library into your safety program

Does your team participate in toolbox talks or daily safety briefs?  A toolbox talk is a short presentation to the workforce on a single aspect of health and safety.  They allow your employees to explore the risks of specific health and safety issues on your site and think about the best ways to deal with those risks. Toolbox talks that focus on a single topic and are held regularly can significantly improve workplace safety.  

One excellent resource that can assist your team in implementing daily safety briefs or toolbox talks is the “2 Minute Safety Briefs” section in the safety library.  In this section, there are forms, handouts, and management documents that you can download and customize for assistance.  Additionally, there are supervisor talks on various topics that supervisors can cover with employees at the beginning of each shift.  These short briefs can be downloaded to ensure your supervisors have the materials they need to cover any available safety topics.  These 2-minute safety briefs cover back exercises, forklifts, heat stress, loading docks, and much more.   If you do provide morning toolbox talks or safety briefs, make sure to document what was covered and who attended.

If you have any questions regarding the safety library or your company’s safety efforts, our Loss Control team is happy to assist you at any time.  

If you need access to the safety library or help logging in, please contact Scott in our Loss Control/Risk Management Department.

Safety Tips in the Workplace

From the foodservice industry to manufacturing plants, safety should be a focal point in any industry.  Most accidents can be prevented if proper safety protocols and procedures are in place.  Safety in the workplace greatly impacts a business.  Safer working environments result in fewer accidents, increased job satisfaction, and less employee turnover.  Here are a few safety tips to follow in the workplace:

• Identify Workplace Hazards - performing a Job Safety Analysis or JSA will help identify and control hazards associated with a specific job.  This will reduce injuries by assisting employees in knowing how to perform a task best while also avoiding harm.
• Proper Training - workplace safety training is as vital as workplace safety itself.  Ensuring employees are correctly trained enables them to understand the best safety practices and expectations.  It also helps employees identify safety hazards and correct them or bring them to their supervisor’s attention to be corrected.
• Safety Meetings - regularly scheduled safety meetings are a massive part of any safety program.  Safety meetings also allow employees the chance to communicate any safety concerns or ideas to their supervisors.  They are also constant reminders to employees on how to perform the required job task effectively and safely.\
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - PPE is equipment worn to reduce exposure to workplace hazards.  The proper PPE should be provided to all employees and required in certain instances.  Proper PPE usage dramatically reduces the risk of injuries and keeps employees safe.
• Emergency Action Plans - emergencies can create several hazards to employees.  Planning and preparing before an emergency occurs, plays an essential role in employees knowing how to keep themselves safe in an emergency.  While you can’t always avoid accidents altogether, you can lessen the damage when an emergency occurs.

2022 Renewal’s 

Invoices for the 2022 year will be mailed on December 1, 2021. Policies will be mailed on December 15, 2021. If you submit a payment before receiving your policy, you will not need to submit an additional payment.    

Cross Border Payments

Please remember to forward all AlaCOMP – Cross Border payments to the Montgomery office listed below:

Alacomp Cross-Border

P.O. Box 243007

Montgomery, AL 36124   

Automatic Payment Information 

ACH – If your current policy is on auto-pay, nothing needs to be done. Your installments for the 2022 year will be automatically deducted from your account on the 1^st of each month.

Credit/Debit Cards

If your current policy is on credit card auto-pay, our billing department will be mailing you a 2022 authorization form around the first week in December to be filled out and sent back by email or fax. After receiving your form, one of our team members will contact you to complete the final step. 

One-Time Payment Options 

A one-time credit card payment can be made through one of our team members by calling our billing department at 1-888-661-7119. 

A one-time ACH payment using your checking account information can be made on our company portal by using your login credentials. If you do not have your credentials and instructions, please email our accounting department.  

Payment Stubs 

Please be sure to return the payment stub that is attached to the bottom of your invoice. 

Change of Billing Plan 

If you decide you would like to have your installment plan changed, please contact our billing department at 1-888-661-7119 and we will be happy to take care of your request. The available billing plans are annual, monthly, quarterly, and monthly reporting payroll.

Changes to Your Policy

If you have changes that need to be made after your policy has been received, please contact your Agent.  

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