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2 Hour Safety Training Due June 30
If your company participated in Group Rating or Group Retro during the 2023 policy year (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024) and had a claim during the green year(s), you’re required to complete two hours of safety training by June 30, 2024. Please be sure to complete submit the training certificates to your team at Spooner (or your TPA, if you’re not a Spooner client). If you’re unsure if you need to complete this training, reach out to your client services manager. The training doesn’t have to be completed in person – so there’s still time to meet the requirement by participating in one of BWC’s online courses. Here are some details on fulfilling the two-hour training requirement, per the Ohio BWC website.
Two-hour Training Options
A variety of training sources are available for you to fulfill this requirement. They include the following offered through BWC’s Division of Safety & Hygiene:
• Education and Training Services Center courses
• Ohio Safety Congress & Exposition (OSC) safety education sessions
• Safety council seminars, workshops, or conferences featuring a safety topic that are at least two hours long (Safety council monthly meetings do not qualify.)
Guidelines for courses offered through non-BWC training forums
• The group sponsor, third-party administrator, or an independent source can sponsor a course, provided it meets the two-hour criteria.
• The topic must be workplace safety related and at least two hours long or be two one-hour classes. The class(es) may be held in a classroom, online, or a webinar with the proper documentation needed to submit to a group sponsor.
• The class(es) must be conducted by reliable and credible safety training sources.
• Employers can do in-house training provided they document it, and the training is beyond the expected regular day-to-day safety training in the workplace.
Spooner Celebrates 50 Years!
Posted By Brandy King
July 21, 2025
Category: General
Earlier this month before we left for a long holiday weekend, we gathered all of our employees at Spooner’s Westlake headquarters to celebrate an amazing 50 years in business! We celebrated with sunshine, great food, a few cold beverages, and live music. If you’ve been a client for a while, you may have heard the story of how our founder, Tom Spooner, started our family of companies in 1975. For those that haven’t, we like it so much that it takes up most of our “About Us” section, so you can read it there. The abridged version is: we started with grit and determination, and found ways to disrupt the industry in the interest of Ohio employers. Tom Spooner felt then, as our leadership team feels today, that Ohio business big and small need a true partner when it comes to risk management. We’re beyond proud to be that partner to thousands of businesses. While we’ve been lucky enough to experience tremendous growth over the last five decades, we’ve been cautious about keeping that growth organic and maintaining the values and integrity that got us here. We love what we do, and that passion is a big part of what’s kept our client retention rate hovering over 98% for countless consecutive years. We’d like to thank our incredible staff and leadership, and our trusting clients for helping us achieve this milestone. Here’s to the next
OSHA Issues a Flurry of Proposed Rules
Posted By Brandy King
July 21, 2025
Category: General
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently proposed some sweeping changes to longstanding regulations. OSHA published a whopping 25 proposed rules and one final rule on July 1, 2025. The proposed rules encompass several different topics related to worker health and safety. Some of the proposals will impact very narrow groups of employers and industries, and a few may have a substantial impact on a large number of U.S. employers. OSHA’s commentary on these changes indicates a goal of removing unnecessary regulatory burdens on employers, while also streamlining OSHA’s regulatory process. The only final rule put into place (and effective immediately) eliminates the need for OSHA’s administrator to seek opinions of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health before publishing, changing, or revoking standards that apply to construction work. Below are a few high notes from some of the more broadly applicable proposed regulations. Remember that OSHA’s rulemaking process requires them to publish these proposed changes and allow time for public commentary and feedback. The links above and below lead to the Federal Register site, where the full details of the suggested changes can be accessed along with the feedback submission form. Highlights of Notable Proposed Rules Application of the General Duty Clause: This could be the change that causes the most stir and elicits the most feedback. While the General
Ohio BWC Safety Grants Available
Posted By Brandy King
July 21, 2025
Category: General
Ohio BWC has opened the application period the Safety Intervention Grant (SIG) Program, which matches eligible state-fund employers $3 to $1 on investments to create a safer workplace. Most employers who have had an Ohio BWC policy for at least one year, are paying above minimum premium ($120+), current on installments and true ups with no lapses this year should be able to take advantage. Self-insuring employers, employers in a self-insured PEO, state agencies and state universities are not eligible. Every three years, eligible employers can apply for up to $40,000 in matching funds to purchase “equipment to substantially reduce or eliminate injuries and illnesses associated with a particular task or operation.” The first thing to note is that if your organization wants to benefit from the Safety Intervention Grants, you must complete this process before purchasing equipment. Be prepared with info on workers’ comp claims or incidents associated with the particular area or task, number of employees performing the task, and explore vendors to get price quotes on equipment. As always, there are items and services that grant funds can’t be used for - like standard PPE, training, equipment needed to meet minimum OSHA requirements, etc. A detailed moratorium can be found here. Of course, there are usually a few strings attached when money is given away. There are reporting requirements once the grant is approved. To avoid getting too
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28605 Ranney Parkway
Westlake, Ohio 44145
Phone: 440-249-5260 ext. 153
Hours: 8AM to 5PM
