Toledo Trucking Association

Dear TTA member:

The Toledo Trucking Association is a BWC certified sponsor for employers participating in group rating.  As a certified sponsor not only does your participation in our group reduce your workers’ compensation premium but also provides you access to various safety and risk management strategies.  The Toledo Trucking Association partners with V&A Risk Services to administer our group rating program, in addition V&A provides claims management and hearing representation to our participants.  As part of this collaborative effort the Ohio BWC provides safety training through Ohio’s Center for Occupational Safety & Health. 

Please click on the www.ToledoTrucking.com to learn more about this collaborative effort and the resources available to you via your participation in our group rating program.  If you have questions regarding group rating please contact our administrator, V&A Risk Services at (419) 867-1044 or toll free at (800) 493-9662 or jweisz@variskservices.com .  Should you have any questions regarding group sponsorship requirements please feel free to contact the Toledo Trucking Association at (419) 250-7025 or tta@toledotrucking.com. 

        July 2010

          RE: Group-Rating Safety Accountability

Dear Employer:

Each year Ohio employers have the opportunity to participate in BWC’s Group-Experience-Rating Program or Group-Retrospective-Rating Program. While these programs are not required, they do provide you with an opportunity to significantly reduce your workers’ compensation premiums, while increasing your awareness of safety and risk-management strategies.

Workplace safety is an important component of these programs. To succeed in accident prevention, we encourage you to use the many resources available to you. We believe a group-rating program is a partnership that includes you and your employees, your sponsoring organization or third-party administrator (TPA) and BWC. Each has specific roles and responsibilities, all designed to assist in preventing workplace accidents. This letter outlines the safety services expectations you should have as an employer enrolled in a group-rating program.

The employer will:

·          Maintain a safe workplace;

·          Attend safety training to enhance workplace safety;

·          Implement BWC’s 10-Step Business Plan for Safety and use available safety services as needed;

·          Attend the required two-hour training and provide proof of attendance to sponsor for claim(s)

occurring within the last two years.

The certified primary and affiliated sponsoring organizations will:

·          Communicate, educate and verify  BWC’s 10-Step Business Plan for Safety to group members;

·          Sponsor eight hours of safety training (this may be done at one time or may be provided incrementally as long as the total is at least eight hours);

·          Provide information regarding safety resources to group members;

·          Possibly assist an employer in achieving its safety needs;

·          Manage employer fulfillment of the two-hour training requirement, where applicable;

·          Publish this letter to group members.

The TPA may:

·          Assist sponsoring organizations with fulfilling the group-rating safety requirements;

·          Assist an employer with its safety needs;

·          Work in conjunction with sponsors to develop safety training and deliver safety resources;

·          Provide resources for claims handling.

BWC will:

·          Monitor all group-rating safety activities to confirm requirements are met;

·          Meet at least annually with sponsoring organizations to provide recommendations for fulfilling safety requirements;

·          Provide safety training through Ohio’s Center for Occupational Safety & Health;

·          Offer on-site safety consultation (hazard assessments, air and noise monitoring, ergonomics evaluation, training) by a BWC safety professional;

·          Offer publications and videos for safety program support;

·          Conduct employer visits to confirm the employer is meeting group-rating requirements, when appropriate.

The goal of this collaborative effort is to make sure all your safety needs are met. Using these resources will assist you in preventing accidents, reducing claims costs and achieving the highest discounts possible. Below you’ll find contact information for various resources.

Sponsor: www.ToledoTrucking.com

TPA:  http://www.variskservices.com/group_rating.html

BWC: http://www.ohiobwc.com/employer/services/safetyhygiene.asp, groupratingsafety@bwc.state.oh.us