WSIA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 4, 2015

WSIA is the statewide business organization representing the workplace safety and workers’ compensation interests of major Washington employers who self-insure their risk of industrial injury. One in three Washington workers – over 800,000 people – are covered by a self-insured program, and WSIA members include major public and private sector employers -- cities, counties, hospitals, public and private schools, non-profit charities, and many of state’s most visible and iconic companies, from Alaska Airlines, Boeing and Costco, to Microsoft, Starbucks, the Seattle Mariners and Seahawks, to the Weyerhaeuser Company.

Notable Tri-Cities area employers who self-insure for workers’ compensation include the U.S. Department of Energy, Areva, Educational Service District 123, the Kennewick School District, the City of Richland, Twin City Foods, ConAgra, Bechtel, and Energy Northwest.

Costs and benefits of the state’s workers’ compensation system are often top-of-mind for legislators and policy-makers in Olympia, as the issue has been highlighted the last several years in showdowns between the House and Senate, as efforts to improve our state’s business climate have focused on workers’ compensation reforms. 

After a golf tournament and winery tour Wednesday afternoon, the conference kicks off Thursday with a series of general sessions and breakaway learning labs. A panel discussion on political and legislative affairs, featuring WSIA Executive Director Kris Tefft and WSIA’s lobbying team, will be followed by a series of issue-focused educational presentations, an awards luncheon, and a speech by Joel Sacks, Director of the state’s Department of Labor & Industries.

Thursday morning’s agenda also features the day’s keynote by Bob Wilson, Florida-based CEO of WorkersCompensation.com and author of the top-rated industry blog From Bob’s Cluttered Desk. An audience favorite, Bob will be sharing his insightful and humorous thoughts on overcoming the challenges employers and employees face when dealing with an often misunderstood part of our legal and health care system.

Preventing workplace accidents is our highest priority, and fresh off last month’s Worker Memorial Ceremony at Labor & Industries, honoring the 89 workers who died on the job last year, including nine agricultural workers from Eastern Washington, the conference on Friday morning highlights safety practices in agriculture. The Washington Farm Bureau’s Jeff Lutz will moderate a panel discussion featuring panelists from Yakima’s Congdon Orchards, Prosser’s Hogue Ranches, and Quincy’s Beef NW Feeders. 

WSIA members will also have the opportunity both days to engage and interact with over 40 vendors and exhibitors presenting new practices, goods and services related to accident prevention, employee wellness, and claims management, in an exhibition space decorated around the “Wild World” theme.

The Washington Self-Insurers Association was founded in 1972 to educate and advocate on statewide issues related to workplace safety and workers’ compensation. Approximately one in three Washington employees is covered by a self-insured workers’ compensation program, and WSIA’s mission is to help members successfully implement and operate self-insurance programs, to keep Washington employees safe, healthy, and working. WSIA members include major public and private sector employers, such as cities, counties, hospitals, public and private schools, non-profit charities, and many of our state’s most visible and iconic companies and brands. For more information, visit www.wsiassn.org.

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