Zellar Consulting, LLC

  Family Entertainment Center Design, Development, & Risk Management Services

Many Family Entertainment Center facilities are seeing their workers compensation costs escalating with increasing claims losses leading to increased premiums. FECs are often at a loss when an employee is injured as to the best way to handle the claim and avoid losing a valuable worker. The reality of the situation is that if the injured employee is left on his own with only the insurance company’s claims adjuster communicating with him, he may prolong the claim and increase the costs. Once injured workers begin to think of themselves as patients rather than workers they are less likely to return to work. Both corporate and facility management staff must be committed to aggressively control the claims process and return them to work as soon as possible. Here are some proven techniques that are valid for all facilities.

When an employee gets injured, the major concern is the welfare of the injured employee. It should be company policy for a member of the management team of the facility to drive the employee to a designated care center for treatment. Do not make the employee drive himself or have to find someone to drive him. Managers may protest that they do not have the time on a busy weekend night to drive someone to the doctor, but this is necessary to show the employee that his welfare is important to the company. If an ambulance is required the manager should follow it with his own vehicle (at a legal speed).

While at the medical facility the manager will assist the employee as much as possible and discuss his treatment with the physician. The manager should describe the physical requirements of the employee’s duties and discuss returning him to light duty work with restrictions. The manager should get something in writing from the doctor, if possible.

The facility manager should select a physician at a nearby medical clinic that will show a commitment to provide quality health services while keeping the best interest of the facility in mind. This doctor will become familiar with the way the facility works and the standard of care expected for employees. Billing should be arranged to be sent directly to the facility’s insurance company or to the facility for payment so the injured employee does not have to worry about it. Some states allow the employee to choose the doctor he wants for treatment. In this case, all the manager can do is encourage the employee to be treated by the designated doctor.

A Drug Free Workplace Policy should be in place so that when an employee is injured and requires medical care, he must receive a drug urine test and alcohol breathalyzer test. This should be done within 24 hours of the injury, preferably at the designated medical clinic after the initial treatment. Some states will allow claims to be reduced or denied if the employee is found to be injured while under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol. All facilities should become a Drug Free Workplace for the well being of workers and guests.

The manager must get the injured employee’s complete statement as soon as possible after the incident and discuss methods of preventing the incident from reoccurring. This should be documented along with witness statements and observations in an Incident Report Form. The object of this investigation should be on prevention, not finding fault. The facility Safety Committee has a duty to review all Incident Reports for completeness and recommend actions for prevention.

The management team must communicate with the employee’s doctor, the employee, and the claims adjuster on the medical status of the employee and attempt to get him released to light work with restrictions until he has recovered enough for full duty. This is called transitional duty, and is an essential part of the recovery process. Transitional duty is the fastest way to get the worker back to the employee mindset and as part of the company. Transitional duty should be productive, not an obvious make-work duty that makes the employee feel inferior. It should also be understood that it is only temporary until he has recovered to full duty.

As you can see, everyone has to get involved. The management team, the doctor, the claims adjuster, and the injured employee himself must all work together to resolve the claim. Not only will facilities benefit from lower insurance costs, they will keep from losing valued employees to injuries. Facilities will see immediate rewards from their efforts when they bring the workers compensation claims process under control.

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