BRADENTON, Fla., May 8, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Gevity (Nasdaq:GVHR), which serves as the full-service human resources department for small and mid-sized businesses, today announced that its client employees experience significantly lower DART rates, or the number of employee "Days Away from work, Restricted work or job Transfer injury and illness" due to occupational injury, than industry averages. The finding is significant as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently sent letters to more than 14,000 workplaces with high DART rates, indicating that those employers were at serious risk for higher personal and financial costs and could be subject to increased safety inspections.
According to the National Council on Compensation Insurance's Detailed Claim Information for 2002 and 2003, the average medical and indemnity cost for all workers' compensation claims was $17,787, with common slip-and-fall accidents carrying a direct cost of $20,228. Add to that indirect costs, such as increased insurance premiums; damaged equipment and/or facilities; hiring, training or retraining; and loss of production and/or quality, which are often 3 to 7 times direct costs, and that $20,000 slip-and-fall accident could wind up costing a business $120,000 or more if the employee takes the matter to court or workers' compensation premiums go up.
To reduce risk, avoid costly accidents and injuries, and keep DART rates and insurance premiums low, businesses need to create and maintain a culture of safety, which requires the help of an experienced risk consultant. In fact, the OSHA letter encourages businesses to seek outside assistance.
How Gevity helps small employers manage risk
Gevity, which has a team of risk consultants spread across the United States, understands that if you have employees, you have risk. And while businesses can't eliminate risk entirely, they can implement ways to reduce and manage it. That's why Gevity risk consultants, each of whom has an average of 10 years experience in safety and loss prevention, including training in industrial hygiene, vehicle safety, ergonomics and personal security (workplace violence prevention), meet regularly with clients.
"Our goal is to minimize workplace hazards, reduce employee injuries and help clients provide, improve or enhance an attitude and safety culture in their workplace," states Michael Collins, a Senior Vice President at Gevity. "That's why Gevity risk consultants meet with all new clients within 60 days, walk through their facility, discuss their safety/risk management needs and come up with a set of recommendations that can help these small employers reduce losses and the many expenses, both direct and indirect, which are associated with workers' compensation injuries and claims."
"And Gevity's involvement doesn't end there," adds Collins. "Our risk consultants continue to meet regularly with clients, to review their safety programs, provide additional recommendations as needed, help them with workers' compensation claims and even support them in the event of an OSHA safety inspection. At Gevity, helping clients manage and control risk and keep costs down is just one of many ways we help streamline HR administration, optimize HR practices and maximize people and performance."
It's also one of the main reasons why Gloria Cobb, the president of Universal Packaging, a thriving wholesale distributor of industrial packaging and shipping supplies based in Denver, Colorado, chose Gevity as her insourced HR department. Founded in 1980, Universal Packaging has grown dramatically over the last 27 years, moving from an 8,000 square-foot warehouse and office space into one more than three times the size in 2006. But the company never had a safety manual until it signed on with Gevity.
"Shortly after we signed up with Gevity, a Gevity risk consultant came to our warehouse, did a walkthrough and a safety audit and gave us recommendations on how to make our work environment safer," says Cobb. "Gevity even helped us develop our first safety manual," she adds. "In 25 years of business, we never had one. With Gevity's help, we've made great strides in safety and compliance."
Gevity risk management services include:
* Identifying exposures that can lead to injury * Reviewing existing safety programs or providing guidance on needed programs * Providing samples of industry- and hazard-specific programs * Safety training for management personnel * A variety of risk-management and safety-related materials, including the OSHA 300 form, available via Gevity Online, Gevity's 24 x 7 online information resource for small employers * Videos to supplement and enhance the client's safety training * Accident investigations on an as-needed basis to identify causes and recommend corrective action items to prevent recurrence * Loss trending and analysis to identify where specific problems may be occurring in the workplace and corrective alternatives to prevent recurrence * Specific administrative and engineering recommendations to improve performance and reduce or eliminate hazards in the workplace * Assistance with the return-to-work process for injured employees
Gevity also helps clients manage workers' compensation claims through its dedicated nationwide claims management teams and its in-house Claims Reporting Center, which is available to answer all provider or client questions on claims issues.
About Gevity
Thousands of small and mid-sized businesses nationwide leverage the flexibility and scalability of Gevity's human resources (HR) solution to help them maximize the return on investment in their people. Essentially, Gevity serves as the full-service HR department for these businesses, providing each employee with support previously only available at much larger companies. Gevity delivers the Gevity Edge(tm), a comprehensive solution comprised of innovative management and administration services, helping employers to streamline HR administration, optimize HR practices, and maximize people and performance. This solution enables both businesses and their employees to achieve their full potential, giving them an edge over competitors. Gevity's unique approach features Gevity OnSite(tm), experienced HR Consultants based in local markets backed by nationwide resources and easy-to-use technology, including Gevity OnLine(tm) and Gevity OnCall(tm). For more information, call 1.800.2GEVITY (1.800.243.8489) or visit gevity.com.
A copy of this press release can be found on the company's Web site at www.gevity.com.