Washington Bill Would Return Workers’ Comp Premiums Back To Employers

The Washington Senate has approved a bill that would return some workers’ compensation insurance premiums back to employers who improve their safety records.

Senate Bill 6035, which passed by a 25-24 vote, indicates that it “creates the retrospective rating program to increase workplace safety, prevent accidents, and improve worker outcomes” by encouraging “retrospective rating group sponsoring entities to use retrospective rating refunds to create and maintain programs that improve workplace safety, prevent accidents, and improve worker outcomes while distributing the remainder of the refund to employer members of the group.”

One such group is the Building Industry Association of Washington.

Critics of the bill are concerned that once money is returned, employers would not use the funds for safety programs.

However, the bill would make information about the sponsoring entities’ administration of the program publicly available, “to restore public confidence in the use of retrospective rating funds,” according to a digest of the bill.

For information, visit http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6035&year=2009.

Source: Washington Legislature