NU’s WC Risk Management Award Winners Share Secrets Of Success 

It might be described as a $21 million wakeup call when six years ago senior management at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. discovered that their workers’ compensation claims had spiked dramatically.

INTEGRIS Health

The guiding loss control philosophy that employees who are under less physical strain have a smaller chance of suffering a job-related injury helped Oklahoma-based INTEGRIS Health hold its workers’ compensation medical costs steady since 1998 despite an 8 percent inflation rate and a payroll that has more than doubled during that time period.

If you go through a checklist of workers’ compensation benchmark metrics between 1999 and 2008 for Snap-on Inc., you’ll find savings and decreases across the board—highlighted by a 42 percent drop in ultimate losses and a 71 percent cut in claims frequency per $1 million of payroll, for example.

The winning trio gathered in person to discuss the challenges facing risk managers today, during a panel discussion at the Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference in Orlando on Aug. 18:

Award Winners Cite Best Practices In Workers’ Comp Risk Management

 Every company executive is on the hot seat in this difficult economy, and risk managers are no exception. But those who can cut workers’ compensation claim frequency and severity, as well as get injured employees back on the job faster while boosting both productivity and morale, will still be sitting pretty with their senior managements, according to the heads of three award-winning programs.