News and Updates
Month: February 2023
Do I Need to Hire a Safety Professional?
It’s always important to have an easily-accessible and competent safety management resource, whether it’s a full-time member of your staff or a trusted third-party consultant. For some companies, an internal Safety or EHS Manager is just as essential as their Operations or Finance Manager. Other companies, such as those in relatively low-hazard industries, can sometimes get away with assigning safety as a secondary duty to internal staff. Those multiple-hat-wearing employees should have a decent grasp of basic safety management concepts and a solid understanding of the OSHA standards applicable to their operations. They will often seek the expertise of, and work in tandem with, a third-party safety consultant for periodic efforts such as compliance audits, program development, OSHA inspection assistance, or anything else that might be out of their wheelhouse. If you’re considering the addition of a safety professional to your team, the list below might help shed some light on your situation. Or, maybe your company is one of many that hasn’t yet realized that this applies to you! Either way, take a moment to reflect: Consider your size and industry: companies with 200+ total employees – especially in a higher-hazard industry, such as in OSHA’s list of NAICS codes covered by the Injury/Illness Recordkeeping Rule – should already have an internal Safety Manager. The hazards posed to empl
2023 Spooner Safety Seminars Announced
*ATTENTION 2022 PY Group and Group Retro Clients* The Spooner Safety Seminars are back on the road! All employers are welcome to attend these informative workplace safety seminars. The training sessions will satisfy BWC’s 2-hour safety training requirement for companies participating in Group Rating or Group Retrospective Rating for the 2022 policy year. Cleveland Area April 18, 2023 from 10 am -12 pm at Holiday Inn, 6001 Rockside Road, Independence, OH 44131 - Click here to register Dayton/Cincinnati Area April 19, 2023 from 10am - 12 pm at Hilton Garden Inn Dayton South-Austin Landing, 12000 Innovation Drive, Miamisburg, OH 45342 - Click here to register Columbus Area April 19, 2023 from 3pm -5 pm at Embassy Suites, 5100 Upper Metro Place, Dublin, OH 43017 - Click here to register Youngstown Area April 20, 2023 from 10 am - 12 pm at A La Cart Catering, 429 Lisbon Street, Canfield, OH 44406 - Click here to register NOTE: Registration Deadline is 4/10/23, 11:59 PM The attendance fee is $35.00/person, billed out after your attendance. Feel free to contact our safety team with any
2023 Q1 Ohio BWC Update
BWC announced in January that they are proposing an 8% rate reduction for private employers in the 2023 policy year (which begins 7/1/23). This isn’t the first time they’ve touted it – and it’s also not the first time people have misunderstood what it actually means. Not all manual classifications (NCCI codes) will receive a decrease. In fact, some may see their base rates rise. The 8% is an average, meaning BWC will collect 8% less premium across the board. The administrative fee baked into employer premiums will be coming down for the 2023 policy year, but don’t get too excited. It’s going from 31.59% to 29.01%. The 2.58% drop won’t make a huge difference for most Ohio employers. For example, a policy with a $75,000 annual premium will only see a savings of $1935 next year based on that change. Make sure you complete the 2-hour safety training required for 2022 PY Group Rating and Group Retro participants by June 30, 2023. We have you covered on this one! Just sign up for one of our Safety Seminars being held throughout Ohio in April. These fill up fast, so don’t wait to register. Registration is open for 2023 Ohio Safety Congress! We’ve missed this event dearly and we’re excited to return. For the uninitiated, this three-day event takes place March 8-10 and is FREE for state-fund employers (those with a BWC policy). Between the education, exhibits, continuing education credits and teambuilding
Initial Victory for 2018 Group Retro Refunds
Obviously, our biggest news is the legal victory in our Group Retro case! Earlier in February, a Magistrate from the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Columbus ruled in favor of our client Kent Elastomer Products, Inc., vacating BWC’s 2020 decision to withhold 2018 Group Retro refunds. You can read our official public statement in its entirety here. There are still a couple of hurdles to be cleared, so we’re doing our best to educate employers on the story so far, and what could happen next. As of 2/15/22, Ohio BWC had requested a two-week extension on their initial two-week appeal window. Please stay tuned for updates! Any major developments will be shared first on the Spooner Inc LinkedIn page. If you're not a Spooner Inc client, you can complete this form to request additional information about your potential
February 2023 OSHA Update
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh announced his resignation in early February. At the time of the update, he has not actually stepped down and ideas are being tossed around about his potential replacement. Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su is expected to take over as acting secretary, which presents the possibility that she could be our next Secretary of Labor. Regardless of who fills the shoes, OSHA field offices and inspectors will stay busy (see below) – which means employers need to stay diligent. Expansion of combustible dust NEP – This National Emphasis program has now been expanded to the following industries: 311812 – Commercial Bakeries 325910 – Printing Ink Manufacturing 321912 – Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planning 316110 – Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing 321214 – Truss Manufacturing 424510 – Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers The NEP was revised after enforcement reports indicated that wood and food products made up over half of the materials involved in combustible dust fires and explosions. Instance-by-Instance Citations – Also in February, OSHA announced a change in how they may handle enforcement to discourage non-compliance. Instead of grouping citations, Regional Administrators and Area Directors can use their authority to cite each instance of non-compliance separately. These will theoretically be reserved for “high gravity,” serious, and repeated viol
Initial Decision on 2018 Group Retro Refunds
Many of you know about our ongoing legal action involving BWC’s withholding of 2018 Group Retro refunds. We are beyond excited to share that a Magistrate for the Tenth District Court of Appeals in Columbus ruled in favor of our lead plaintiff, Kent Elastomer Products, Inc., vacating a 2020 BWC decision to withhold 2018 Retro refunds from participating Ohio employers following a dividend distribution. To sum it up, the Magistrate agreed that BWC did not have the authority to withhold roughly $244 million in 2018 Retro refunds, and is thusly obligated to return those funds to participating Ohio employers. It's important to note that not only does BWC have two weeks to appeal the decision, but that the court must also uphold the decision in order for these funds to be distributed. We'll have additional detals coming soon, so please stay tuned for
