Health and Safety

Mission Statement

• Our mission is to have every employee and department educated on the OSHA standards
• Communication with the injured employee and supervisors
• Develop and Implement a Back to Work Program
• Investigate accidents
• Communication with Tribal First, HMA and Brown & Brown Ins.
• Periodic safety and health inspections
• First Aid/CPR
• Continue Safety Committe Meetings
• Having Safety Meeting in every Department

Thoughts for the Day

• Before you do it, take time to think through it
• Be safe and safety is #1

Location Specific Health and Safety Information

• Quil Ceda Village personnel

Safety Tips

• Immediately report all injuries, accidents, incidents, near misses, and hazardous conditions to your supervisor. Supervisor should then notify the department of Health and Safety.
• You may not be discriminated against or disciplined for reporting potentially hazardous conditions.
• You may contact the department of Health and Safety for assistance in filling out workers compensation claims. Contact Dean Henry at 360-716-4439.

Safety Statistics

• 4 most dangerous places are:
  • Your car
  • Your home
  • The public
  • Your work
• Every 19 seconds a worker is injured at work.
• 17 people die everyday on the job.
• 100 people die everyday from work related illness or disease contracted from their job.

Videos

Safety videos can be rented from www.videos.lni.wa.gov; you must have submitted a rental request prior to borrowing Safety Videos. Videos are free of charge; borrower must pay return shipping via UPS or other carrier. Prices vary depending on how many videos are to be returned. For more information, feel free to contact the department of Health and Safety, Dean Henry at 360-716-4439.

Safety Tips

• Immediately report all injuries, accidents, incidents, near misses, and hazardous conditions to your supervisor. Supervisor should then notify the department of Health and Safety.
• You may not be discriminated against or disciplined for reporting potentially hazardous conditions.
• You may contact the department of Health and Safety for assistance in filling out workers compensation claims. Contact Dean Henry at 360-716-4439.

Health and Safety Form

How to Process Your Workers Compensation Insurance Claim

The following are steps needed to insure your claim is processed in a timely manner:

• Immediately report your injury to your supervisor and pick up an Injury Packet from the Health and Safety Department. Dean Henry at 360-716-4439.

• Seek medical attention.
  Important:Your employer / Tribal First reserves the right to direct your care to a provider of their choice. Please check with your employer, before seeking medical attention, to verify whether or not a provider has already been selected.

• Have the attending physician complete the Physicians Initial Report included in your accident packet. You may leave this form with your physician, and he/she will forward it to the insurance company listed on the form. Your attending physician should also complete the Return to Work Authorization Form. This form needs to be returned to the Health and Safety Department to be forwarded to Tribal First with your Accident Report.

• Complete the upper portion of the Accident Report. This should be completed within two days of the injury. Return the completed form to the Health and Safety Department. The Health and Safety Department will complete the bottom portion of the accident report and forward to Tribal First.

• As soon as Tribal First receives your completed Accident Report, your claim will be processed and a claim number assigned. If Tribal First does not receive a completed form, time loss or medical benefits cannot be provided.

• If you have any questions regarding the completion of this packet, please contact the Health and Safety Department. You may contact the claims examiner for additional information at Tribal First at 1-877-777-8039.

Injury Reporting Processes

The following are steps needed to insure your claim is processed in a timely manner:

• In order to avoid a delay in the processing of workers compensation benefits, the employee should Immediately report the injury to their supervisor and to the Health and Safety Department.
• The supervisor should interview the employee about how their injury occurred and complete and Internal Incident report. The internal Incident Report should be given to the Health and Safety Department on the same day.
• The Supervisor should provide the employee with a Claim Packet and instruct the employee to return the packet to Health and Safety Department within two days in order to avoid a delay in the processing of their benefits.
• The employee must complete the "workers section" of the Accident Report prior to going to the doctor. In an emergency situation this form must be completed as soon as the employee is able to do so.
• The Accident Report must be completed fully and provide a detailed description of how the injury occurred. if the Accident Report is not completed fully or the information being provided is unclear, there will be a delay in workers compensation benefits or may result in denial of claim and or benefits.
• The employee will be required to take a Return to Work Authorization / Disability Certificate from to the doctor for completion. The form needs to be signed by a licensed Medical Doctor, or qualified physician. This form must be returned to the supervisor and the Health and Safety Department the same day. Failure to return the form will affect their workers compensation benefits. A copy of this form will be sent to Tribal First for consideration of benefits by the Health and Safety Department.
• The employee will also be required to take a Physicians Initial Report to their first treating physician for completion. This form must be completed immediately and will be sent to the Tribal First by the Health and Safety Department.
• The employee should have weekly contact with the supervisor and the Health and Safety Department staff to provide reports on their progress.
• An employee may take Sick or Annual leave while claiming time loss benefits under the workers compensation claim. If you choose to use your personal leave, you will not receive time loss benefits from your claim.
• An employee may not return to work without prior authorization from the physician, a completed Return to Work Authorization / Disability Certificate form signed and dated by the physician will be required.
• An employee who is offered a temporary modified work position to accommodate physical restrictions as a result of the injury will be required to accept the position. Failure to accept the position will result in termination of time loss compensation benefits.
• An employee who is returning to light duty assignment at a lower salary rate or reduced hours may be eligible for partial compensation for the salary difference under their workers compensation claim.

Please note that it is the employee's responsibility to provide the requested and needed information throughout the claim process. This is especially important if one is off work and receiving time loss compensation benefits. The employee will have to provide the Health and Safety Department and Tribal First the appropriate certification from a qualified physician before time loss benefits can be paid. The Health and Safety Department is available for any questions you may have and will fax and or mail all documents necessary needed by Tribal First.

Please notify the Health and Safety Department and Tribal First if an employee is off work as a result of the work related injury, is offered light duty employment, returns to work, or refuses to return to work.