August Resources from Sedgwick - OABA Member Service Partner

OABA is pleased to partner with Sedgwick to offer members quality service and stability through the complex workers’ compensation environment. Check out these updates from Sedgwick regarding hazardous noise levels and transitional work grants. 

OSHA Issues Emergency Temporary Standard

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for healthcare and updated guidance for all industries. This healthcare ETS applies, with some exceptions, to settings where any employee provides healthcare services or healthcare support services. The ETS is aimed at protecting workers facing the highest COVID-19 hazards—those working in healthcare settings where suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients are treated. This includes employees in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities; emergency responders; home healthcare workers; and employees in ambulatory care facilities where suspected or confirmed COVID- 19 patients are treated.

It does not apply to:

• First aid performed by an employee who is not a licensed healthcare provider
• Dispensing of prescriptions by pharmacists in retail settings
• Non-hospital ambulatory care settings where all non-employees are screened prior to entry and people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not permitted to enter those settings
• Well-defined hospital ambulatory care settings where all employees are fully vaccinated and all non-employees are screened prior to entry and people with suspected or confirmed COVID- 19 are not permitted to enter those settings
• Home healthcare settings where all employees are fully vaccinated and all non-employees are screened prior to entry and people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not present
• Healthcare support services not performed in a healthcare setting (e.g., off-site laundry, off- site medical billing)
• Telehealth services performed outside of a setting where direct patient care occurs

For healthcare settings embedded in non-healthcare settings, the ETS applies only to the embedded healthcare setting and not to the remainder of the physical location. Where emergency responders or other licensed healthcare providers enter a non-healthcare setting to provide healthcare services, the ETS applies only to the provision of healthcare services by that employee. The ETS exempts fully vaccinated workers from masking, distancing, and barrier requirements when in well-defined areas where there is no reasonable expectation that any person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 will be present.

The ETS was officially filed in the Office of the Federal Register on June 17, 2021, and it became effective when it was published on June 21, 2021. Employers must comply with most provisions within 14 days and with the remaining provisions within 30 days.

The Public Employment Risk Reduction Program (PERRP) has indicated they are reviewing this ETS but have not determined if they will follow it. We will keep you updated on their decision.

For questions or additional information please contact Jim Wirth, 614-546-7331 or jim.wirth@sedgwick.com

Better You, Better Ohio!™

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) offers Better You, Better Ohio!™ – a program designed to provide health and wellness resources and services to workers who work for small employers (250 or fewer workers) in high-risk industries*. Better You, Better Ohio! helps workers and their employers at no cost and through a simple, paperless process.

Employers can reap great benefits from having a healthy workforce. Healthy employees are less prone to injury. And, when they are injured, their ability to recover is enhanced greatly. Overall, employers with a healthy workforce have lower workers’ compensation and health-care costs. Better You, Better Ohio! can:

• Help prevent injuries through improved workforce health and
• Reduce absenteeism and improve
• Reduce the severity of an
• Improve the recovery time from an
• Reduce time away from work due to an

Email BWCBetterYouBetterOhio@bwc.state.oh.us to get started today! They have plenty of material you can share with your employees. BWC can send you tools to help your staff get started or work with you to ensure all employees get enrolled at go.activehealth.com/betteryoubetterohio. BWC even does on-site enrollment.

Employers can use Better You, Better Ohio! to help manage and reduce their workers’ compensation and health-care costs by having a healthier workforce. Meanwhile, workers can earn financial rewards for taking steps to improve their health and wellness such as completing a health assessment and a biometric screening.

Employers and employees currently participating in the Substance Use and Recovery Workplace Safety Program are also eligible to participate regardless of industry or size. Email BWCBetterYouBetterOhio@bwc.state.oh.us with any questions.

Important reminders

Private employers:

• 2020 rate year True-Upreport and payment (if monies owed) due August 13, 2021

If you have any questions regarding premium installments or the true-up process, contact our Sedgwick program manager, Rejeana Woolum-Napier, at 614.359.2403.

Learn more about Sedgwick!

Did you know that many alternative discounts are available to help reduce your annual Ohio workers’ compensation costs? Through the OABA workers’ compensation program, your organization can significantly reduce your workers’ compensation costs through a variety of alternative rating programs. Our program, administered by Sedgwick, offers you quality service and stability through the complex workers’ compensation environment.

For over 50 years, Sedgwick has been helping employers navigate Ohio’s workers’ compensation system, providing services to help them control claim-related costs and reduce premiums. Our team includes the experienced colleagues from CompManagement and CareWorks Comp.

Learn more about how Sedgwick can help your company save significantly on your workers’ compensation premium by visiting www.oaba.net/services_workers_comp.