The WSIA Weekly, 4.8.16
Room
block cut-off for Annual Conference is today
Today
marks the deadline for room reservations for our blockbuster Annual
Conference, “Lights! Camera! Action!” in just under a month at the new
Davenport Grand hotel in Spokane. Although our room block is already full and
then some, the hotel has been honoring our discounted rate of $139/night for
conference attendees through today. Click
here for conference hotel information, and be sure to get your
registrations in so we can secure your spot at the event! Contact Kari Heinold with any
questions.
West
Regional Meeting next week in Renton
Our
next association Regional
Meeting is taking place next Wednesday in Renton, featuring networking time
and a presentation by attorney Sarah Ewing and neuropsychologist Elizabeth
Ziegler, both focusing on neuropsychological evaluations in workers’
compensation. It is taking place from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on April 13th
at Valley Medical Center, with continuing education credits on application.
Regional Meetings are free for WSIA members to attend, but require an e-mail
RSVP. For more information, visit our website here or contact Kari Heinold with any
questions.
WSIA
Safety Committee’s regular monthly meeting next Thursday
Next
Thursday, April 14th, WSIA’s Safety Committee holds its regular
monthly online meeting using the GoToMeeting platform. The meeting, from 2:00
p.m. to 3:00 p.m., will focus on the theme of “Moving to a Pro-Active Safety
Program” by searching for leading indicators, behavior-based reinforcement,
needs based training, motivational consequences, analysis and action, promoting
near-miss reporting, becoming a safety coach, and how these factors lead to an
increase in capacity and production as well as a safer worksite. Use this
link to register for the meeting, and please feel free to forward or share
with safety personnel in your company or organization. Contact committee chair John Shervey
or WSIA’s Patrick Koenig with
any questions.
“DOSH
Talk” added to the calendar of events for April 27th
In
addition to its meeting this month, the WSIA Safety Committee is hosting
another installment of our “DOSH Talk” series, an interactive online
presentation format on a safety compliance issue with regulatory experts. On
April 27th from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Mary Yakawich, a consultant with
the Department of Labor & Industries’ Division of Occupational Safety and
Health (DOSH), will be addressing safety rules related to confined spaces like
attics, crawl spaces for inspectors or installers, and other covered areas that
might be overlooked under the rule. Click here
for registration. Feel free to share/forward to your safety personnel, and
we ask that any questions be submitted
in advance by e-mail to Safety Committee chair John Shervey.
WCAC
meets next week in Tumwater
For those
not attending our regional meeting next Wednesday, the state’s Workers’
Compensation Advisory Committee is holding its regular quarterly meeting
that day at the Department of Labor & Industries headquarters in Tumwater.
The agenda runs from 9:00 a.m. to Noon, and will focus on updates related to
the financial status of the State Fund, ongoing implementation of legislative
directives, and other departmental initiatives. WCAC meetings are open to the
public, and members are encouraged to attend. WSIA is represented on the WCAC
by Sheri Sundstrom of Hoffman Construction. Contact Kris Tefft with any questions.
Labor
& Industries announces rulemaking on preferred worker status
Earlier
this week, the Department of Labor & Industries filed its formal notice
that it will be considering rules related to changes in vocational
rehabilitation brought about by the Legislature’s passage of last year’s House Bill 1496,
which expanded Option 2 benefits and made changes to the Preferred Worker
Program. Option 2 rules have already been adopted; the apparent subject of the
second round of rules relates to the preferred worker program. Self-insured
employers should recall the law’s provision that preferred worker program
benefits are only available to the self-insurer when the preferred worker was
injured in the employ of a state fund employer. Contact Kris Tefft with any questions.
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