The annual rebate program & in-person monthly meetings will return in July 2022 for FY23 (7/1/22-6/30/23),

Update from the Ohio BWC on 5/3/21:

The Ohio BWC has decided to extend the virtual Ohio Safety Council program for another year. This means there will be no rebate for FY22. In addition, the CY2021 semi-annual reports and CEO attendance will no longer be required.

Update from the Ohio BWC on 7/8/20:

Dear safety council member,

As a valued member of an Ohio safety council, we want to inform you of important updates to the BWC Safety Council program for the upcoming fiscal year, that started July 1.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio Safety Councils will conduct all meetings virtually (online only) this fiscal year. This is the safest way to hold meetings as we work to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Ohio. We expect most safety councils will choose to host virtual meetings this year. However, if that is not the case with your local program, we will connect you with a neighboring safety council that will host you until in-person meetings resume.

The decision to go virtual will also make participation as easy as possible for you as you focus on resuming your operations and keeping your workforce safe.

In light of the difficult and unusual times, we will not be offering a rebate for participation nor the performance rebate (for those eligible) to employers who participate in the BWC Safety Council program.  

While this is not the usual direct financial reward for attending, we believe your business will still receive valuable workplace safety information and resources by attending meetings online. What you learn at upcoming virtual meetings can help with cost savings and keeping your workers safe from injuries and illness at work.

Look to your local safety council for information on upcoming meetings and programming as they remain your source for occupational safety and health and workers’ compensation information and resources!   

Sincerely,

Michelle Francisco

BWC Safety Council Program Manager

Update from the PCSC on 6/30/20:

There will be no in-person PCSC meetings until further notice. We’re currently waiting on a decision from the Ohio BWC on how to move forward. With that being said, the PCSC Steering Committee is currently looking into opportunities to host monthly webinar training. Please stay tuned, we’ll update you as soon as we have more information. Thank you for your patience!

Update from the Ohio BWC on 4/20/20:

Dear Safety Council Rebate Program Participants,

We thank you for your patience as we’ve determined how to proceed with the FY20 Safety Council Rebate Program in the midst of COVID-19.

As you know, we directed safety council sponsors to cancel March, April, and May safety council meetings in light of public health concerns. And today’s announcement will eliminate the need for sponsors to host a June meeting. As a result of these cancellations, we realize it is impossible for many of you to complete the program’s FY20 rebate eligibility requirements.

Therefore, we will provide the FY20 rebate to safety council members who, as of Feb. 29, 2020, had attended at least FOUR safety council meetings. This determination was based on crediting each member with one meeting credit for each cancelled meeting, the maximum of two external training credits and waiving the CEO attendance and calendar year 2019 semi-annual report requirements.

This paragraph is NOT relevant to the PCSC: Although we realize a small number of safety councils host more than one meeting a month late in the program year, we are granting relief for only one safety council meeting credit per month in March, April, May, and June. This resolution reinforces the program’s goal of active participation for the purpose of education, networking and resource sharing and, unfortunately, members who condense participation to the latter part of the program year will not appreciate relief from this solution.

Ultimately, employers we determine have earned the rebate under the revised guidelines will receive the maximum percentage rebate allowed per their BWC group-rating status:

• 2% for employers enrolled in BWC’s Group-Retrospective-Rating Program and eligible for the participation rebate.
• 2% for employers enrolled in BWC’s Group-Experience-Rating Program and eligible for the performance bonus – there will be no claims data measurement calculation.
• 4% for employers not enrolled in a BWC Group-Rating Program.

Your safety council sponsor will submit July 1, 2019 through February 29, 2020 attendance records to us when normal business operations resume. The timeline for the processing of these rebates is yet to be determined but we will continue to update safety council sponsors when you should expect FY20 safety council program rebate checks.

Our most sincere interest is the health, wellness and safety of Ohio’s workforce. Be safe and take care.

Michelle Francisco

BWC Safety Council Program Manager