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Fall 2014 Issue
The Ohio Restaurant Association (ORA)
understands the value of safety and how
it can impact a significant cost driver:
your workers’ compensation premium.
Additionally, with the changes that the
Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
(BWC) has announced for 2015-2016,
the ORA wants to make sure our members
understand how they will be impacted.
Within these pages, you will uncover a
treasure trove of information on both
workers’ compensation and workplace
safety that are designed to help you
operate smarter versus harder. In
addition to the traditional safety articles,
we have also provided information
related to food safety, ServSafe
®
, health
care advice from our Strategic Partner
UnitedHealthcare and more. The ORA’s
providing insight from a variety of
contributors who are experts in helping
establishments like yours lower their
cost of doing business through effective
risk management.
Although commodity and labor costs are
a significant concern for most operators,
commitment to safety must remain top
of mind in order to avoid higher workers’
comp premiums.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Penny wise
and pound foolish,” a maxim that clearly
applies to safety in the workplace. Busy
operators may focus on sharing basic
information with employees regarding
how to safely use kitchen utensils and
equipment but is this truly enough to
ensure a safe workplace? Sadly, there
is no guarantee that any workplace can
be 100 percent injury-free, but the odds
will surely be stacked in your favor if you
choose to create a culture of safety and
responsibility for your team members.
We have pulled together some great
information regarding best practices from
some of our most trusted partners –
CareWorks Consultants Inc., CareWorks,
and RiskControl360
o
– and other leaders
in safety, risk management and healthcare
services, like UnitedHealthcare. Beyond
the savings, operators can achieve
through group rating programs, such as
the ORA-sponsored foodservice-specific
group rating plan, there is much more that
can be done to ensure you are effectively
managing safety and risk management.
Most operators have a number of
younger employees on their teams. From
experience, we all know that they are
not always as mature and committed to
following the safety practices our more
seasoned employees do. This alone is
reason enough to invest the time to more
aggressively manage your expectations
around safety and risk management.
The ORA is pleased to offer you this
valuable content and hope that you will
find it beneficial. Don’t hesitate to let us
know if there are other areas of operations
or marketing that you would like for us
to explore as we continue to bring great
content to à la Carte. Never forget – we
are committed to being a necessary
ingredient in the recipe that helps your
business succeed.
By Geoff Hetrick,
President and CEO,
Ohio Restaurant Association
To Operate Most Effectively, Responsible
Safety Practices Must Be In Place and Followed
Protecting Your Bottom Line
Inside This Issue
Safety & Workers
Compensation
9-29
