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BWC Featured Items
Register for the 2024 Ohio Safety Congress & Expo® (OSC24®) Registration is open for OSC24®. Join us in-person at the Greater Columbus Convention Center or online March 27-29. Documentary Filmmaker Brett Culp kicks off the event with his keynote session on transformational change. Check out this preview of his session! Chef Eduardo Garcia follows on Thursday with his session on forging ourselves into becoming stronger representations of who we really are and who we can become.
Public employers’ rates drop in the new year
Ohio’s public employers will pay nearly $8 million less in workers’ compensation insurance premiums thanks for a rate cut that went into effect Jan. 1, 2024. This 3.9% rate reduction was made possible by declining injury claims and relatively low medical inflation costs by Ohio’s counties, cities, public schools, and other taxing districts.
2022 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) Data for Ohio
BWC has released the 2022 data for occupational fatalities in Ohio. The fatal injury rate decreased to 3.0 cases per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers from 3.4 the previous year. Incidence rate of fatal occupational injuries in Ohio was lower than the reported national incidence rate of 3.7 cases per 100,000 full-time workers. Ohio incidence rate was also the lower than that of all neighboring states - Indiana (5.0), Kentucky (3.9), Michigan (3.2), Pennsylvania (3.1) & West Virginia (6.8).
February BWC In-Person Training, Safety Webinars, and Virtual Training Classes
The BWC has numerous safety training opportunities for you and your employees.
OH|ID is coming!
The OH|ID pre-registration for our external customer logins is now underway. In early 2024, BWC customers will begin logging in using OH|ID and 2-Step Verification, replacing existing e-account login credentials.
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 Monthly Safety Topic
Simplifying Hazard Communications
In the last five years, Hazard Communication has consistently been in OSHA’s top five most cited standards. This underscores just how important Hazard Communication is and how easy it is to become complacent. Workers not only have a right to know hazards exist in the workplace, but to understand what those hazards are and how they are expected to protect themselves while doing their jobs.
- The hazard communication standard applies to all employer worksites where employees use a hazardous chemical.
- Hazardous chemicals are labeled, by the manufacturer, with pictograms. Employees need to be trained on what the pictograms mean and how to protect themselves.
- Your SDS line - Safety data sheets (SDSs), for hazardous chemicals, need to be accessible to all workers during their shift, including second and third shifts. Electronic copies are allowed if workers have access to the computer the copies are saved to and understand how to retrieve the information.
- Employees are to be trained on workplace hazards before their first exposure to the hazard, including hazardous chemicals.
- If you introduce a new chemical with hazards or change how the chemical is used, employees need to be retrained.
Feel like you could use a refresher in interpreting SDS? There’s still time to sign up for our free training in March.
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BWC Library Question of the Month
A question received by the library over the past month with our response.
Question: Can you recommend resources for safe driver training at our facility? Are there up to date statistics for occupational driving fatalities in Ohio?
Answer: BWC’s Safety Services division offers a customizable suite of documents for a driver safety program. Safety Services also offers a set of four safety talks pertaining to driving. Our library offers safety training videos on driving; you can see what we offer by using our online catalog and choosing Driving as the topic. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides information on workplace vehicle safety, and OSHA provides a Safety and Health topics page for motor vehicle safety.
According to the 2022 CFOI data for Ohio, transportation incidents were the most common fatal event in 2022, accounting for 39 percent (60 cases) of the total recorded cases, which is a decrease from the 2021 CFOI amount of 67 fatalities.
If you need help with understanding safe driving, contact BWC’s Division of Safety and Hygiene. Consultation services are free for employers with a BWC policy. Do you have a question for our library? You can submit a question to us, anytime!
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 Other news
3D printer safety
This recently published document, Approaches to 3D printing: a guide for Makerspace Users, Schools, Libraries, and Small Businesses, summarizes NIOSH findings and recommendations for controls to protect workers using 3D printers in schools, libraries, makerspaces, and small businesses after NIOSH evaluations of various 3D printer and filament emissions.
Winter weather safety publications
Are you looking for some handouts for your employees on winter weather hazards? This page from of Cold Weather publications from OSHA has materials in both English and Spanish.
Aging workers in construction industries
Construction resource site CPWR has a new dataset with information on the overall number of construction workers aged 55+ and the numbers by specific occupations. The numbers will be updated annually.
The Ohio BWC Library of BWC’s Division of Safety & Hygiene compiles and distributes this newsletter each month.
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BWC's Division of Safety & Hygiene provides a variety of programs, services, and resources to help Ohio employers create a safe and healthy workplace.
Visit bwc.ohio.gov or email BWCDSH@bwc.state.oh.us or call 1-800-644-6292.
Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
Vision: To transform BWC into an agile organization driven by customer success.
Mission: To deliver consistently excellent experiences for each BWC customer every day. Core Values: One Agency, Personal Connection, Innovative Leadership, Relentless Excellence.
Established in 1912, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is the exclusive provider of workers’ compensation insurance in Ohio, serving 257,000 public and private employers. With nearly 1,600 employees and assets of approximately $21 billion, BWC is one of the largest state-run insurance systems in the United States. For more, visit bwc.ohio.gov.
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