To the editor:

The Shelby County Safety Council is one of more than 80 across the state that partner with the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation to promote the importance of workplace safety.

We at BWC work closely with the council and member employers in Shelby County, and we are always impressed. Their partnership helps BWC achieve its mission of creating a culture of safety around Ohio. That’s why we are so pleased they value the safety of their workers.

Ohio’s workplace safety successes show in the numbers. Claims have fallen steadily — approximately 86,000 new claims were allowed in fiscal year 2017, down from 104,000 in 2010. The number of employers using BWC safety services grew by 70 percent since 2010. Since 2011, Ohio employers have taken advantage of BWC’s Safety Intervention Grant Program to purchase more than $77 million in tools and equipment that make their workplaces safer.

Those numbers are impressive, and so are many others:

• A $1.5 billion employer rebate this summer followed rebates of $1 billion in 2013, 2014 and 2017. In Shelby County alone, those rebates so far have totaled $23 million.

• The cost to purchase coverage is at its lowest point in 40 years.

• All told, private and public employers have saved $8 billion in workers’ comp costs since greater 2011 through rebates, rate cuts and credits.

Those are dollars employers in Shelby County are investing in their businesses and communities, all while keeping Ohio’s workforce safe and healthy.

Keep up the great work, Shelby County. Thank you for embracing the important role you play in keeping workers safe.

Joe Koehl

Loss Prevention Supervisor

Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation

Columbus