Volume 24 / Issue 6 - June, 2019
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LCSC Program Committee Presents

Friday, June 21, 2019
Topic: Heat Stress & Heat Stress Related Incidents
Speaker:  Crystal Joshua, Industrial Hygienist, OSHA


Time:

Registration: 11:15 a.m.

Lunch & Program:  11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.


Location:

Villa Croatia - Event Venue & Party Center, 34900 Lake Shore Blvd., Eastlake, OH  44095


Cost: Members: $20

Non-Members: $25

Friday, July 26, 2019
Topic: Conceal Carry in the Workplace
Speaker:  TBD


Time:

Registration: 11:15 a.m.

Lunch & Program:  11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.


Location:

Villa Croatia - Event Venue & Party Center, 34900 Lake Shore Blvd., Eastlake, OH  44095


Cost: Members: $20

Non-Members: $25

Heat Stress & Safety Issues/Concerns

The steering committee for the Lake County Safety Council is proud to present the June monthly program  ---  Heat Stress & Heat Stress Related Incidents - with keynote speaker Crystal Joshua, industrial hygienist, OSHA --- on Friday, June 21. 

Ms. Joshua is a senior industrial hugienist with the US-DOL OSHA office in Cleveland. She has been with the agency since 2011, previously living in Connecticut.

Under OSHA law employers are responsible for providing workplaces free of known safety hazards. This includes protecting workers from extreme heat. An employer with workers exposed to high temperatures should establish a complete heat illness prevention program.

Joshua has conducted more than 200 safety and health inspections in both construction and generaly industry environments. She has presented for OSHA on a variety of topics, including noise, lead, blooodborne pathognes and most recently hexavalent chromium for the American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo.

She will address issues and requirements such as: providing workers with water, rest and shade; allowing new or returning workers to gradually increase workloads and take more frequent breaks as they acclimatize; planning for emergencies and training workers on prevention and monitoring workers for signs of illness.

Previousely she worked as an engineering assistant with the City of Lafayette, Indiana. She received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Akron.

The meeting will be held at the Villa Croatia Event Venue & Party Center (The Croatian Lodge), 34900 Lakeshore Blvd., Eastlake, OH  44095, with registration beginning at 11:15 a.m. The cost of the event is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. Reservations may be made online at the LCSC web site listed below. The event is sponsored by:

---Lake Health

---HzW Environmental Consultants

---Minutemen HR Services

Council Director
Gordon Levar
gflevar@att.net

(440) 479-1539


Council Director Elect
(open)

Council Secretary
Sue Fuerst
sfuerst@painesville.com
(440) 392-2975

Past Director
Mike Orlando
morlando@aexcelcorp.com
(440) 290-9785

Council Advisor
Bob Siktberg
karen_gridley@lincolnelectric.com
(216) 383-4737

Council Liaison
Chris Weber-Bresky

cweber@mentorchamber.org

(440) 255-1616

Steering Committee
Chris Brill-Packard
chris.brill-packard@lakehealth.org
(440) 354-1933

Donna McCaskey
dmccaskey@eagroupohio.com
(440) 951-3514

Lee Silvi
lsilvi@lakelandcc.edu
(440) 525-7252

Clifford Smith
clifford.smith@altana.com
(440) 954-7653

Joanne Clapp
cfo@perryvillage.info
(440) 259-2671

Jim Ruttinger
jim.Ruttinger@denora.com

(440) 710-5399

Tymra Gerhart
gerhartt@cintas.com
(440) 352-4079

Tobin Hawes
tobinj.hawes@henkel.com
(440) 205-3933

Bob Bradley
rbradley@usendoscopy.com
(440) 639-4494


Council Assistant
Mark Wainwright
mwainwright@mentorchamber.org
(440) 255-1616


Ohio Bureau of Workers'
Compensation Representative
Nikki Lorenzo Luna
Garfield Heights Office
216-379-2394

nicole.l.1@bwc.state.oh.us


Interested in joining our Steering Committee? Contact Mark Wainwright for more information.

BWC Looks to Continue the Billion Back Program

 

Governor DeWine, BWC propose $1.5 billion for Ohio employers

Governor Mike DeWine (center) and BWC Administrator/CEO Stephanie McCloud (left) tour Reynoldsburg's Dynalab, Inc., where they announced the proposal to send $1.5 billion to Ohio employers this year.

Governor Mike DeWine and BWC Administrator/CEO Stephanie McCloud on Monday proposed giving $1.5 billion to Ohio employers this year following strong returns on the agency’s investments.

“This is great news for Ohio,” said Governor DeWine. “This money will help Ohio employers expand their businesses, create jobs, and invest in capital improvements. Ohio’s economy is strong, and this proposal reinforces our goal of creating more jobs in the state.”


In addition to money for private businesses, the $1.5 billion proposal also includes money for public employers, including approximately $114 million for local governments and around $50 million for public schools. 


The money would be Ohio’s fifth investment return to private and public employers of at least $1 billion since 2013 and sixth overall during that time.


“Our investment portfolio is strong, our injury claims are falling, and our safety and wellness initiatives are making a difference,” said Administrator McCloud. “All of these actions mean big savings for employers, and we’re delighted to share this success with them.”


BWC invest employers premiums to grow the fund that supports injured worker claims. When investment returns are strong, BWC shares a portion of the investments with qualifying employers in the form of a dividend.


The $1.5 billion dividend equals 88 percent of the premiums employers paid for the policy year that ended June 30, 2018 (calendar year 2017 for public employers). BWC insures roughly 242,000 public and private employers.


Governor DeWine and Administrator McCloud announced their proposal this morning at Dynalab Electronic Manufacturing Services in Reynoldsburg. 


“I really appreciate this news today and what Governor DeWine and BWC are doing to help businesses succeed,” said Dynalab, Inc. President Gary James. “To compete in the global market, we must be on the cutting edge at all times and that takes resources. The check we’ll receive in late summer will definitely help.”


McCloud will present the proposal to the BWC Board of Directors on Wednesday during board committee meetings. A vote would follow at the board’s June 28 meeting. If approved, checks would be issued to employers in September.


BWC earned $1.3 billion in net investment income in 2018, a net return of 5.1 percent on assets of $26.9 billion.


The proposal continues a trend of lowering workers’ comp costs for Ohio’s private and public employers. BWC has repeatedly lowered premium rates in recent years, including a 12 percent cut for public employers that took effect in January and a 20 percent cut for private employers that begins July 1. The agency disbursed $1 billion or more to employers in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018. It also distributed $15 million in 2016 for public employers.

In total, BWC has saved employers nearly $10 billion in workers’ comp costs through dividends, credits, rate reductions, and greater efficiencies since 2011.

Safety pays for Columbus brewery

Land-Grant Brewing Co. learned BWC is more than “a cost of doing business.” The agency offers a variety of safety services, including safety experts, health and wellness plans and tens of thousands of dollars in grants to improve workplace safety so businesses can succeed.

Read their full story on the BWC Blog.

 

 

Looking out for aging workers

By Stephanie McCloud, BWC Administrator/CEO

Americans are living longer, and they’re working longer too. Today, one in every five American workers is over 65, and in 2020, one in four American workers will be over 55, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC), we have 71 workers over the age of 65; 18 are over the age of 70. We truly appreciate our older workers and the years of service to our agency and the people of Ohio.

We recognize the value they bring to our agency, and the contributions of mature workers in general to the work force. They bring skills and knowledge to the workplace honed by decades of service and experience. They are dependable and productive. They have a strong work ethic.

They mentor our younger workers.

At BWC, our core mission is to protect Ohio’s workers and employers through the prevention, care and management of workplace injuries and illnesses. Workplace safety is a critical component of that mission, especially when it comes to our more seasoned workers. They are more susceptible to injury because of age-related challenges – decreases in mobility and sensory functions, reduced strength and balance, and longer reaction times.

When a 25-year-old worker falls on the job, for instance, she might bruise a knee. For a 70-year-old worker, it’s potentially a broken hip and a long recovery.

Older workers helped build our great state, and we want to keep them active, healthy and engaged in their work. We’re a charter partner in the STEADY U Ohio initiative to curb the epidemic of slips, trips and falls among older Ohioans. (One in three older adults will fall this year, according to the Ohio Department of Health.) These are the leading causes of worker injury, and they most often strike workers 45 and older (like me!).

These incidents are costly. The total estimated cost of falls among Ohioans aged 65 and older (medical costs, work loss) is nearly $2 billion annually in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Most are preventable. At Steady U, workers and employers can find tips, tools and resources designed to reduce these incidents.

We urge all Ohioans to join us in creating a culture of safety across this state. Safe workplaces mean fewer, if any, injuries on the job, as well as steady production and lower costs for employers. And they mean more workers can go home healthy each day after their shift.

We are here to help. We have experts, grant dollars and other resources to make Ohio a safer place. To learn more, contact us at 1-800-644-6292 or visit our Division of Safety & Hygiene web page.

BWC eBriefs

 

 

From the BWC Blog

BWC’s Library teamed up with Ohio Memory – the statewide digital library program run by the Ohio History Connection and State Library of Ohio – to create an online archive of safety posters from as far back as the 1920s. See these posters and read more in BWC Librarian Amelia Klein’s blog, A new online poster archive takes visitors on a safe trip through time.

 

Upcoming program deadlines

Private employers interested in the Drug-Free Safety ProgramIndustry-Specific Safety Program and Transitional Work Bonus Program during the next program year must apply by May 31.

That’s also the deadline for private employers that participate in the Policy Activity Rebate program to complete the required 11 activity credits.

New safety training videos

The BWC Library has new safety training videos available for loan. Topics include cold stress and hypothermia, heat stress, and drugs and alcohol. To see the full listing, click here.

To find out more about the BWC Library's video collection and how to be a borrower, click here.

If you have questions and would like to speak with the video librarian, call 614-644-0018 or email library@bwc.state.oh.us

Better You, Better Ohio!

The backbone of a successful business is its workers, and the backbone of Ohio is its workforce. At BWC, we take our mission to take care of Ohio's workforce seriously.

That's why we offer Better You, Better Ohio! – a health and wellness program for Ohioans who work for small employers in high-risk industries.

The program provides a wealth of resources for workers to take ownership of their health and well-being and employers to manage and reduce their costs with a healthier workforce. Join the more than 10,000 who are already participating!

 

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Attendance - 05/17/19-LakeCounty Safety Council Safety Expo

ACO Inc.
ACO Inc.
Action Door
Advanced Controls, Inc.
Advocate for Independence
Aexcel Corporation
Alloy Precision Technologies
Amerathon, LLC
Anderson Heating & Cooling
Astro Manufacturing & Design
Avery Dennison - EFD
Avery Dennison - PFF
Beachwood City School District
Brotzman Nursery
Building Technicians Corporation
Career Centered Staffing
Cast Nylons Ltd.
Chemsultants International
Cintas Corporation
City of Eastlake
City of Kirtland
City of Mayfield Heights
City of Willoughby
C-MOR Safety
Cometic Gasket, Inc.
Component Repair Technologies, Inc.
Core Systems LLC
CPP Eastlake
Crossroads Health
De Nora Tech Manufacturing
De Nora Tech R&D
Dyson Corporation
EA Group
ECKART America Corp.
Empro Job Network (Thomas Emp.)
ENPAC, LLC
Enterprise Welding & Fabricating
Enviroserve
Euclid Fish Company
Flow Polymers, LLC
Fusion, Inc.
Grand Rock
Greenbridge
Hardy Industrial Technologies
Henkel Consumer Adhesives, Inc./OSI
Hose Master LLC
HZW Environmental Consultants, LLC
Inova Staffing Services
Kerr Lakeside, Inc.
Kline Rostocil Construction Corp.
Lake County Council on Aging
Lake County Dept. of Utilities
Lake County Emergency Management
Lake County Nursery
Lake Metroparks
Lakeland Community College Retired
Laketran
Lantern of Madison
Lassiter and Son, LLC
Leroy Township
Levin Furniture
Libra Industries
Lincoln Electric
Lintern Corporation
Lubrizol Corporation
Lubrizol Corporation
MatPlus
McNeil Industries
McPhillips Plumbing & HVAC Co.
Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce
Mentor Public Library
Mentor Public Schools
Merritt Woodwork
Metal Seal Precision
Metz Culinary Management
Midwest Materials
MJM Industries
Momentive Performance Matls.
MT Heat Treating
MUM Industries
North American Coating Laboratories
Northeast Masonry
Nova Chemical
Olon Ricerca Bioscience, LLC
Omni Cart Services
ORBIS Corporation
Pace Engineering, Inc.
Painesville Township
Pepco (Professional Electric Products Co.)
Process Technology
Pure Water Technology
Ranpak Corp.
Reserves Network, The
RJ Kirkland Construction Co., Inc.
Roll-Kraft
Royal Plastics Inc.
Sedgwick Managed Care Ohio
ServiceMaster by Disaster Recon
Spee-D-Metals
Steel Warehouse Cleveland LLC (dba Chesterfield Steel)
Steris Endoscopy
Surgical Care Center
Symphony at Mentor
The News-Herald
Transfer Express, Inc.
Tri County Ambulance Service
TT Electronics Integrated Mfg. Services
Umicore Specialty Materials Recycling
Universal Metal Products
University Hospitals
V.L. Chapman Electric
Vector Security
Village of Perry
Visiting Angels of Northeast Ohio
West Geauga Local Schools
Western Reserve Water Systems
Windsor Laurelwood Center
Yokohama Industries Americas Ohio Inc.