First quarter 2025 Safety Update

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Safety Services catalog transitions to the new training webpage

The Safety Services catalog has transitioned to the new Safety training webpage. The updated page organizes our safety training course offerings by type and industry. Customers can easily search for available courses and register directly through the Learning Management System.

Ohio Safety Congress & Expo^®

Mark your calendars for April 16-18, 2025! Join us for high-impact educational sessions, guided workshops, real-life solutions from top vendors, and unparalleled networking opportunities. Register now to secure your spot!

Click here to watch and learn more about the Ohio Safety Congress®!

Quarterly safety topic - Protecting your ears

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a leading occupational illness worldwide, affecting over 14% of Americans. It impairs communication at work and home, often resulting from prolonged exposure to loud sounds like machinery. If noise leaves your ears ringing or requires shouting to communicate, it’s too loud, and hearing protection is essential.

Prevent hearing loss with these steps:

• Consistently use earplugs or earmuffs in noisy environments.
• Keep personal devices at the lowest enjoyable volume.
• Learn more about noise regulations on the OSHA website.

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Office of Safety Services offers consultations to assess workplace noise risks and protect employees. Contact us today!

BWC Library question of the quarter

Question:
Can I get data to compare my hospital's injury rates to others in the industry?

Answer: Yes! The National Safety Council's Nonfatal Injury and Illness Incidence Rate Lookup Tool is ideal for benchmarking any company’s performance. It allows you to compare Total recordable case (TRI), Days away, restricted, or transferred cases (DART), Days Away from Work cases (DAFW), and Days of Job Transfer or Restriction case (DJTR), using Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data.

You’ll need your hospital's NAICS code and incidence rates. For hospitals, use NAICS 622XXX (Hospitals) or 6221XX (General Medical and Surgical Hospitals); the rates are nearly identical. The tool's steps correspond to the level of NAICS detail you want. For example:

• Choose 622 in Step 3 for Hospitals.
• Choose 6221 in Step 4 for General Medical and Surgical Hospitals.

Once selected, you can compare your hospital's rates to national averages. A free NAICS lookup tool is available on the U.S. Census Bureau website North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) U.S. Census Bureau.

If you need assistance with workplace safety, please reach out to the Safety Services team. Our consultation services are included in your BWC policy premium. Have a question for our library? We’re here to help - submit your question to us anytime!

BWC on-demand video resources
Looking for a flexible, cost-effective way to enhance workplace skills and safety? Included in your policy premium, our on-demand training videos on Streamery cover a wide range of topics, including:

• Workplace safety – Equip employees with essential skills to stay safe on the job.
• Leadership development – Build strong, effective leaders within your organization.
• Communication skills – Enhance collaboration and workplace interactions.
• Employee relations – Foster a positive and productive workplace culture.

New to Streamery and need to create an account? Simply email us at library@bwc.ohio.gov with the subject line “Streaming Videos” and our team will assist you promptly.

Featured safety videos
Prepare your employees for winter with our Winter Safety 2025 video playlist on Streamery. Highlights include:

• Winter driving in extreme weather conditions
• Cold stress and hypothermia
• Snowplow safety

Other news

Winter weather safety resources

Stay safe this winter with these helpful guides:

• The Center for Construction Research and Training CPWR Working in Cold Weather
• OSHA Winter weather - Hazards/Precautions
• NIOSH Winter weather: before, during, and after
• NOAA Get your snow smarts on: 9 forecast tools you can use

NIOSH respirator guide for healthcare

NIOSH’s new Respirator Selection Guide for the Healthcare Industry Helps employers and program managers choose the right respiratory protection to minimize risks from job-related hazards.

2023 Workplace injury & illness data

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released the Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, 2023 - 2023 A01 Results and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries - 2023 A01 Results. Key insights include: 

• 6 million nonfatal injuries/ illnesses in 2023, an8.4% decrease from 2022. 
• 946,500 nonfatal injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (DAFW), down1% from 2022.
• 8% of fatalities resulted from transportation incidents.

This quarterly newsletter is published by the Ohio BWC, Office of Safety Services.

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 $22 billion, BWC is one of the largest state-run insurance systems in the United States. For more, visit bwc.ohio.gov.