If you’ve got an auto shop (whether that’s a mechanic’s shop, brake repair shop, a collision repair shop, a transmission shop, and so on) you have a lot of employees working on your team. They’re racing around the shop, trying to keep up with the cars coming and going for repair and get all the cars fixed. But what happens if one of your employees gets hurt on the job? There’s a coverage that’s important for any auto shop to consider, and that’s workers’ compensation. We’ll explain what workers’ comp is, but first we’ll outline some of the workers’ comp risks auto shops face.
What workers’ comp risks do auto shops face?
Working with cars comes with a lot of risks, and it’s important to keep your employees safe. Here are some of the workers’ comp risks your employees face…
- Welding
- Equipment malfunction (hoists, jacks, etc.)
- Slips and falls
- Back injuries, strains, sprains
- Hernias
- Chemical burns/injuries if the shop deals with batteries
- Lifting-related injuries
Now, these aren’t the only workplace-related risks your employees face. But these are some of the common risks employees face working in an auto shop. However, that’s why workers’ comp is there – to protect your employees. Here’s how workers comp works.
What is workers’ compensation insurance?
The next question to answer is what is workers’ compensation insurance? What does it do?
Workers compensation insurance is, as we mentioned, an important coverage when it comes to protecting your employees. It can help them if they suffer a work-related injury or a work-related illness. That’s because it does a few different things if an employee is injured on the job. Workers comp can…
- Give employees a portion of the wages they lose if they need to take time off work to recover.
- Cover the employee’s medical bills.
- Provide disability payments if an employee is left disabled due to a work-related injury.
- Provide death benefits for an employees’ dependents if they are killed on the job.
That’s why workers’ compensation insurance is so important. It allows you as an employer to protect your workers should they get hurt on the job. Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. The employees that work for you are your most valuable resource, and that’s why it’s important to make sure that they can recover and get the care they need and the treatment they need to get better.
Tips to lower your workers’ compensation costs.
Even though you want to protect your employees and have the coverage you need, that doesn’t mean you can’t work to lower your workers’ compensation costs. Here are a few tips:
- Keep the workplace as safe as possible.
- Have a return-to-work program so that your employees can come back to work but perform modified duties that are within their capabilities as they recover.
- Commit to training your employees on safety and how to do their jobs as safely as possible.
- Ensure that claims are reported quickly and as soon as possible.
- Launch investigations if there is a workplace accident or injury so you can prevent them from happening again.
Safety is the name of the game, and here’s why: if you have a high level of safety at your shop, in theory, you should have fewer claims. And if you have fewer claims, you can see lower workers’ comp rates. So, that’s another reason to commit to safety. Your employees avoid injury and you could get lower insurance rates. It’s the definition of a win-win.
Get insurance quotes for auto shops.
If you’ve got an auto shop, you’re probably so busy that the prospect of insurance and dealing with insurance might fill you with dread. But our goal is to make insurance as easy as possible – so don’t worry! You can get in touch with our team by filling out our online form, giving us a call, and messaging us on LiveChat. Our insurance superheroes would be happy to help with your auto repair shop insurance.