Columbus, Georgia

ASSOCIATION COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF GEORGIA

GROUP SELF-INSURANCE WORKERS? COMPENSATION FUND



LOSS CONTROL AND SAFETY INCENTIVE DISCOUNT PROGRAM





Members of the ACCG-GSIWCF who comply with the following loss control and

safety incentive requirements will be eligible to receive an additional 7.5%

discount on their 2004 discounted annual premium. You may have similar

procedures in place, or even more comprehensive procedures in place. These

requirements are not meant to replace your current program but to enhance the

one that already exists or to provide a basic guideline for those members who

have not implemented these basic loss control and safety procedures.



The standards that must be complied with between January 1, 2003 and September

1, 2003 in order to receive the 7.5% discount in 2004 are as follows:



1. As required by the GSIWCF?s Intrastate Agreement (the membership agreement

your organization signed when joining the Fund), a safety coordinator must be

appointed by the member. The safety coordinator may be any appropriate person

who works at the organization. A new position does not need to be created in

order to comply with these standards. The safety coordinator is responsible

for working with the department heads and/or supervisors to coordinate the

following:



? Attend Safety Coordinator I, II, or III through Local Government Risk

Management Services (LGRMS) during the 12 months preceding the August 1, 2003

cutoff date. The Safety Coordinator training series does not need to be

repeated, as long as the Safety Coordinator does not change. Safety

Coordinators are required to take one Safety Coordinator class per year, until

they have completed the series. Once all three sessions have been attended,

the Safety Coordinator will not be required to attend further training. In the

event a new Safety Coordinator is appointed by the member, the new Coordinator

will need to start over, beginning with Safety Coordinator I.

? Establishing and coordinating quarterly safety meetings and self inspections

to identify safety related hazards.

? Coordinating and implementing safety rules and training for supervisors and

employees and/or making recommendations to management regarding such items.

? Reviewing and/or investigating all employee accidents for causes and making

documented recommendations for improvements and corrections.

? Conducting periodic safety self inspections of all vehicles, buildings,

grounds, equipment and machinery, and work practices and conditions to

determine potential injury exposures.

? Documenting and maintaining inspection records and implementing any follow up

actions.



2. As required by the GSIWCF?s Intrastate Agreement, a minimum of four

safety/accident review meetings must be held each year. We recommend that you

have these meetings quarterly. If all four of the meetings have not taken place

by September 1, 2003 when the verification form needs to be sent to us, please

make sure that the fourth meeting has been scheduled to take place by the end

of 2003. A record of the meetings, such as notes, minutes or a brief

description of the topic and list of attendees, should be maintained on file as

documentation of the meeting.



3. The member must make a reasonable, good-faith effort to return an injured

worker to work at a modified job if approved by the doctor. That is, if an

employee is injured and is unable to perform his normal job duties, the member

must have a policy to encourage their various departments to accommodate the

use of transitional employment for that employee during their recovery period.

For example, if a road department employee has a back injury and cannot stand

for more than two hours, the member must make a reasonable effort to find a

modified duty for that person. The Claims Department will notify the member

when an employee has been released to modified duty, but it will be the

member?s responsibility to make a reasonable search to determine if a county

position is available.



4. One or more representatives from your organization must attend a minimum of

one free training seminar or workshop conducted by Local Government Risk

Management Services. The training does not have to be specific to workers?

compensation. It can be on any topic LGRMS presents. The member agrees to

cooperate and support the efforts of the GSIWCF?s safety and loss control

programs as administered by LGRMS.



5. The member shall adopt the following personnel and administrative procedures:



? As required by Georgia law, the member must post and continuously maintain a

valid Panel of Physicians notice in prominent places at each work site.

? As required by Georgia law, the member must post workers? compensation Bill

of Rights notices in several prominent places at the work site.

? The member must explain the Panel of Physicians notice and the Bill of Rights

to each new employee. The member must have each new employee sign a form

stating that this has been done.

? The member must complete a post offer of employment medical inquiry for each

new employee and maintain it in a file separate from the employee?s personnel

file. See attached sample form entitled, ?Post Offer of Employment Medical

Inquiry.?



The post offer of employment medical inquiry form is needed to help the GSIWCF

secure reimbursement from the Georgia Subsequent Injury Trust Fund for money

paid to or on behalf of your injured employee and where the claim is associated

with an injury that occurred or a medical condition that existed prior to the

time of employment at your organization. In order to receive reimbursement

from the Subsequent Injury Trust Fund you must have knowledge of the impairment

or condition that existed prior to an on the job injury or disability that

occurred while employed by you. Having new employees complete the post offer

of employment medical inquiry form will prove your knowledge of the

pre-existing injury or condition and allow the GSIWCF to be reimbursed. Money

recovered is credited to your organization?s loss experience and may reduce the

cost of your workers? compensation premium. Due, in part, to the active

participation of the membership in completing the medical inquiry forms, the

GSIWCF recovered $1.7 million dollars from the Subsequent Injury Trust Fund in

2001 which has been credited to the membership.



6. The member shall implement a drug free workplace program to, at a minimum,

include the following:



? A written drug free workplace policy regarding drug or alcohol use in the

workplace.

? A notice on all employment applications and/or in the personnel policy

stating that the member maintains a drug free workplace.

? It is recommended, but not required by this discount, that as a humanitarian

effort your organization maintain a resource file of providers for employee

assistance such as drug and alcohol abuse programs. When requested, the

organization should inform its employees of the availability of this resource

file. A request for access to the resource list should remain strictly

confidential. Your organization is not responsible for paying for its

employees? assistance. Helpline Georgia provides crisis intervention,

statewide information and referral resources 24-hours a day, 7 days a week,

toll free. Their number is 1 (800) 338-6745.



It has been proven that drug and alcohol use in the workplace increases

absenteeism and employee turnover and decreases productivity and employee

moral. Further, it has been found that 38-50% of all workers? compensation

claims are related to substance abuse. Substance abusers file twice as many

claims as non abusers. Medical costs for substance abusers have been found to

be 300% higher than for non abusers. The GSIWCF encourages you to implement

the above minimum drug free workplace requirements in order to save your

organization money and to prevent accidents and injuries to your employees.



We highly recommend that you have your attorney or other legal representative

assist you in implementing any drug testing procedures you may wish to include

in your drug free workplace program. Public employers, unlike private sector

employers, are more limited in the type of drug testing and policies they may

adopt. If you have any questions about implementing the drug free workplace

policy or any of the other requirements for this discount please contact Dave

Gelsthorpe at LGRMS. He and/or his staff will be glad to help you.



7. Members are required to respond within ninety (90) days to LGRMS in the

event safety recommendations are made following a loss control visit. Although

the recommendations do not necessarily have to be followed by the member, there

must be a reason that no action was taken or a plan in place to correct the

deficiency.





The enclosed Verification form which confirms that the requirements have been

met must be received by the ACCG-GSIWCF by September 1, 2003 in order to

receive the discount in 2004.