2 days ago

Claims 101: Keep calm and know your rights - Part 1

March 3, 2016
By L&I Claims Staff

Sometimes, after being hurt on the job, you might be feeling overwhelmed or scared. Often times, the process can be confusing to everyone involved.

We understand, and we’re here for you. To help you reduce stress and focus on healing and returning to work, we’ve created this 5-part “Claims 101” series about what workers, employers and providers can expect when dealing with workers’ comp claims:

• Part 1: Keep calm and know your rights
  
• Part 2: The injured workers and representatives
  
• Part 3: The employer
  
• Part 4: The staff at L&I
  
• Part 5: The providers

We’ll start the series off with an explanation of a few of the terms you may come across when first filing a claim.

No Fault Insurer
You may have heard the term, “No fault insurer.” What does that mean? It means:

• Employees who suffer on-the-job injuries or illnesses get wage and medical benefits.
  
• Employers are immune from lawsuits as a result of workplace injuries or illnesses suffered by their employees.

Under WAC 296-17-31003 “Workers compensation insurance is a no-fault insurance program that eliminates blame to either party for workplace injuries or illnesses.

Injury Claim
What is an injury claim? An injury claim is considered valid when it’s timely filed (more on this later) and all of the following are true:

• Course of Employment: The worker was acting in the course of his or her employment.
  
• Legal definition of injury: The descriptive statement of the injury satisfies the legal definition of an injury.
  
• Causal relationship: The medical opinion says the condition diagnosed was probably related to the incident or exposure (“more probable than not” basis). Probable means there is a more than 50% chance a relationship between the injury and the workers employment exists.

Possible and common conditions in injury claims include:

• Strains/sprains
  
• Cuts
  
• Broken bones

Occupational Disease Claim
An Occupational Disease Claim is valid when it is timely filed and refers to an occupational disease associated with your job.

An occupational disease is a disease or infection that arises naturally out of your employment and happens in a chain of events that shows a very close and direct relationship to the employment. It occurs over time, rather than from a fixed event. Key distinctions include:

• It doesn’t result from a fixed point in time.
  
• It results from your work duties.

Possible and common conditions in occupational disease claims include:

• Tendinitis
  
• Carpenter’s knee - bursitis
  
• Occupational hearing loss

“Timely” filed
This means the claim was filed within the required time frame:

• For an injury claim you have 1 year from the date of the injury to file a claim.
  
• For an occupational disease claim you have 2 years from the date you’re first notified in writing that the condition(s) exist.

TIP: To file your claim quickly and easily, file online with FileFast.

More to come
Stay tuned for the next installment in this series, where we’ll talk about roles, responsibilities and expectations for injured workers and their representatives.

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1 week ago

The workers’ comp heart attack: Part 2 - Early warnings and intervention

February 25, 2016
By Robert D. Mootz, DC

Just like a physician acts quickly and aggressively when a patient has signs of a heart attack, providers who treat injured workers need to know the signs and risk factors for chronic disability. Further, they need to know what resources are available to help workers early, before chronic sensitization to pain sets in.

Typically, injured workers should get their most intensive treatment and support the first few weeks after an injury. That care should include increased attention to:

• Determining if the worker has low recovery expectations.
• Using tools such as an activity diary to ensure workers incrementally increase what they do a little each day.
• Identification of any concerns the worker has that work tasks and activities may make their condition worse.
• Ensuring that physical therapy focuses on active care.

I cannot over-emphasize the importance of working with employers, Early Return-to-Work staff, Health Services Coordinators and others to do everything possible to keep the worker connected with their job, including modified duty when necessary.

Some early predictors for disability
A University of Washington study from 2008 identified several risk factors for our injured workers that contribute to disability. Low recovery expectations and fear of worsening their condition by going back to work were at the top of the list. L&I is currently engaged in research and pilot testing of ways to identify workers at risk of becoming chronic early in their care. We’re working with our Centers for Occupational Health and Education (COHEs) to routinely assess for disability risk factors and rapidly get support to the worker and their providers to assure workers get any assistance and care needed.

The earliest predictors of workers who may be at risk for disabilities include:

• Workers who have not worked because of their on-the-job injury in the past week.
• Patients with back and leg pain, or pain in multiple body areas.
• The worker’s employer has not offered an accommodation at work.
• Workers who are concerned they may never recover from their injury.
• Workers who have concerns that activities or tasks involving the injured area will make the problem worse.

Interestingly, the strongest predictor of a worker not being disabled a year after their injury was having a chiropractor as their first provider.

In part this may be related to the combination of chiropractors’ strong recovery expectations for patients, regularly including movement and activity, and avoiding medications such as opioids.

Why do some injured workers do better than others?
Occupational best practices being used by providers at the COHEs are helping reduce disability among injured workers.

Examples of best practices include provider communication with employers, using activity prescriptions, speeding up submission of the Report of Accident and using Health Services Coordinators to help prevent workers from “falling through the cracks.” COHEs report fewer incidents of chronic disability among injured workers.

These best practice incentives for COHE physicians help them understand that helping an injured worker requires a partnership between the injured worker, their medical provider and the employer. Other best practices include:

• Injured workers take an active part in their own recovery.
• Ensuring workers know that musculoskeletal injuries almost always recover fully.
• Setting the expectation that getting back to their job is part of their recovery from a work injury.
• Incrementally increasing activity after an injury to build strength and avoid re-injury.
• Ensuring that any physical therapy and/or occupational therapy include active care that leads to functional improvement (not just pain relief).
• Tracking functional progress.

So instead of injured workers and their providers saying, “Oh, it hurts, I better stop,” they should say, “Oh, it hurts, I better wiggle through it.”

Working with attending providers to address those issues that may contribute to chronicity before they become chronic, has real promise to help improve worker outcomes. L&I’s Office of the Medical Director and Health Services Analysis are committed to partnering with providers in the COHEs and L&I’s Provider Network, as well as Early Return-To-Work and claims staff to leverage current knowledge to best practices.

Resources for Medical Providers
L&I’s advisory committees address many of the questions and concerns presented. Those committees include:

• Industrial Insurance Chiropractic Advisory Committee
• Industrial Insurance Medical Advisory Committee
• Advisory Committee on Healthcare Innovation and Evaluation

The L&I website has links to guidelines and best practice resources developed with these committees and a list of other terrific provider resources.

Additionally, we’re working on continuing education modules on topics like “How to have a conversation with an employer” for providers in the L&I Provider Network.

I’m especially optimistic about how all of the various initiatives across L&I in Claims, Office of the Medical Director, and Early Return to Work are aligning to identify the right resources at the right time for injured workers to assure the best possible outcomes for them.

Editors note: This is the second post in a 2-part series. Here’s where you can read the first post.

Robert D. Mootz, DC is the Associate Medical Director for Chiropractic at the Department of Labor & Industries. His position involves policy development and quality oversight regarding care of occupationally injured workers. He continues to be directly involved in development and implementation of evidence-informed decision making strategies for governmental policy.

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2 weeks ago

The workers’ comp heart attack: Part 1 - Treat early and keep moving

February 18, 2016
By Robert D. Mootz, DC

Why is it that modern medical professionals can identify and treat a potential heart attack victim early, but cannot do the same for a potential victim of debilitating back pain?

It’s a question we’re aggressively pursuing in hopes of helping injured workers avoid disability.

Most disability cases start as simple, non-catastrophic injuries: things like carpel tunnel and lower back pain. Early on, these cases look like the majority of cases (95%) where workers go on to recover and do just fine. But, 5% “go badly.”

This small percentage of injured workers end up on permanent disability, losing their careers, their retirement, health care benefits, and sometimes even their marriages and families.

We might anticipate such an outcome from a catastrophic injury, but from a simple back sprain?

Why do 5% go down this path?
As a practicing chiropractor, I’ve spent years trying to understand these questions by listening to injured workers and attempting to serve them more holistically.

Since joining L&I’s Office of The Medical Director in 1992, I’ve had the opportunity to work with kindred souls under the leadership of Medical Director Gary Franklin, M.D., and his team at the University of Washington. Their work, along with other researchers around the world, is shedding light on why 5% of injured workers develop chronic pain and disability. What we’re seeing is that conventional wisdom of treating work injuries with pain medication and time off work “to heal” may be the worst possible option.

When does acute pain become chronic pain?
The development of chronic pain is a process. In patients with back injuries, it often begins when the central nervous system becomes sensitized to pain stimulation. The pain experience may persist even after the injury physically heals itself and the brain still needs time to adjust.

This is a critical point. People may jump too quickly to simply find ways to ease pain. However, research increasingly has shown that returning to normal activity as soon as it is safe, and finding ways to cope with the pain and work through it, may be far more effective than avoiding or masking pain.

Once a sensitized pathway for pain develops, it usually takes multiple strategies to break the cycle. If you focus on the pain, you reinforce it.

Optimal care for an injured worker with pain includes many things in addition to specific interventions for their physical injury. Among the most important is incrementally increasing their activity to help redirect their thoughts to focus on function. Hurt does not automatically mean harm.

Activity coaching as a best practice for helping with pain
The attitudes toward pain and injury of people around an injured worker may also factor into what gets reinforced with the worker. A person’s cognitive (things like attention span and appraisal skills) and emotional (things like whether we get depressed or anxious) abilities affect pain as well.

For these reasons, patients with pain will do better if they get up and move.

L&I is pilot testing and implementing several initiatives to help providers to ensure workers stay active during recovery. Activity Coaching, also known as the Progressive Goal Attainment Program (PGAP), and other efforts with L&I’s Centers for Occupational Health and Education (COHEs) are implementing best practices to empower workers to maintain and improve function through their recovery.

Almost everyone has back pain in their life and nearly everyone recovers from it. Pain provides protection for healing, but if pain becomes a justification for being sedentary, good pain can turn bad.

So don’t be afraid of action and activity. Keep moving.

Editors note: This is the first post in a 2-part series. Here’s where you can read the second post.

Robert D. Mootz, DC is the Associate Medical Director for Chiropractic at the Department of Labor & Industries. His position involves policy development and quality oversight regarding care of occupationally injured workers. He continues to be directly involved in development and implementation of evidence-informed decision making strategies for governmental policy.

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3 weeks ago

Knowing the Top 10 safety violations can help you protect your business & employees

February 11, 2016
By Elaine Fischer

Is your company at risk of a workplace safety violation? It doesn’t need to be. Knowing the most common safety and health violations can help protect your business from possible violations and fines.

But what if you review this list and think you might have violations? Or you’re overwhelmed or confused at the thought of managing your safety program or worried about workers’ compensation claims’ costs?

Help is available! L&I consultants can help you find solutions to these and other safety and health issues. There’s no charge for this service, and your L&I consultation visit is completely confidential.

Top 10 safety violations
Take time now to review these violations, and if you need help, call the L&I Consultant nearest you for confidential advice. The Top 10 violations cited are:

1. Accident Prevention Program (APP) (Construction): The No. 1 cited violation goes to the Construction Industry for failure to have an effective written APP.

2. Fall Protection (Construction): Falls from heights are the leading cause of deaths and hospitalizations among construction workers in Washington State. When used properly, fall protection saves lives!

3. Chemical Hazard Communication: Thousands of products and materials found in today’s workplaces contain hazardous chemicals that can cause health problems from minor skin irritation to serious injuries or diseases like cancer. Hazard communication rules were developed so employers and their workers are informed about these hazards.

4. Accident Prevention Program (General Industry): All employers are required to create a written APP to address the safety hazards specific to their workplace. Planning prevents injuries!

5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Employers must provide the correct PPE and training on how to use it properly. PPE includes hardhats, eye protection, fall protection, respirators, hearing protection, gloves, high-vis vests, chaps and steel-toe shoes and boots.

6. Basic Electrical Rules: Workers are exposed to electrical hazards when they operate power tools, appliances or machines; perform maintenance on energized machinery; and operate heavy equipment near power lines. Employers must identify and address hazards as part of the safety program.

7. Safety Committees and Safety Meetings: Involving employees in safety meetings and on a safety committee is a sure way to improve safety in your workplace. And it’s required to do so!

8. Asbestos Removal: Asbestos is a carcinogen that is extremely hazardous to workers who handle it and to others in the area when it gets into the air and is inhaled.

9. First-Aid (General Industry): Providing first-aid assistance and first-aid supplies can help reduce the severity of an injury, the cost of medical bills and the length of time an employee is unable to work.

10. First-Aid Training and Certification (Construction): On a construction worksite, there must be someone available who has a valid first-aid certificate, and there must be first-aid supplies available. Supervisors and crew leaders must have first-aid certification.

Don’t get fined!
Review the Top 10 violations to sure your workplace is in compliance. If you’d like to get more information, visit Top 10 Rule Violations.

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1 month ago

Medical providers can speed workers’ comp benefits by filing the Report of Accident online

February 4, 2016
By Gail Richardson

Getting back to work as soon as safely possible is the best medicine for injured workers. So instead of filing the Report of Accident with a paper form, provider offices should look into filing online with FileFast.

This new illustrated video shows some of the differences between filing the Report of Accident by paper versus filing online:

One of the key tips to using online filing is having the injured worker file first, either online or by phone at 1-877-561-FILE. The information the worker fills in will populate the provider form, saving your office time.

The benefits of filing online
Filing online can speed claim receipt and processing by several days and even weeks. The benefits to provider offices that file online include:

• Faster treatment authorization.
• Instant confirmation of receipt, saving provider offices time.
• Avoids delays in claims decision by capturing critical information upfront.
• Speeds the delivery of care and benefits to workers.
• Fewer delays in payment to medical providers.
• $10 payment incentive for filing online — billing code 1040M.
• Interpreter services are available.

To learn more:

• Watch the tutorial on ways to integrate FileFast into your office.
• Join one of the monthly webinars for provider offices. Go to www.Lni.wa.gov/workshops to register.
• Call me at the FileFast office at 360-902-4275. I’ll be glad to walk your office through setting up online filing of the Report of Accident.

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1 month ago

Don’t let it happen to you: Paving scam victims speak out in new consumer campaign

February 2, 2016
By Debby Abe

Marv and Dorothy Davenport never thought they were the kind of folks who could be conned.

Marv is a successful businessman who once owned a trucking business. Later, he and Dorothy ran their own gas station, RV park and mini-mart for 24 years in a rural logging community in southwest Washington.

But on a sweltering August day in 2014, a stranger in a pickup drove up to their bucolic home and delivered a painful lesson in dishonesty. The couple lost $6,000 to the crook in a classic driveway paving scam that crops up around the country when the weather warms.

Now the retired couple is sharing their story in hopes that others will avoid the same fate.

Protect My Home TV commercial
Marv and Dorothy are featured in our new Protect My Home consumer awareness campaign. They retell key points of their paving nightmare in a commercial that’s running on websites, mobile devices and TV screens throughout Washington.

Our staff produced the 30-second spot, which also gives tips on how to Hire Smart when choosing a contractor.

Contractors must register with L&I
“The best chance for a successful home improvement project is to hire a registered contractor,” said Shari Purves-Reiter, an outreach manager at L&I. “We hear many sad stories that could have been prevented if people would just Hire Smart. The Protect My Home campaign shows how to protect yourself when choosing a contractor.”

Many consumers don’t realize that state law requires construction contractors to register with L&I. We confirm whether contractors have a business license, liability insurance and bond ­– requirements that give consumers some recourse in case of problems.

Perennial paving scams
Plenty of law-abiding paving contractors who are registered do a good job for customers. But every year, a few home and business owners tell us they’ve fallen victim to paving scams.  The scammers are usually unregistered contractors who travel through a region or across the country, going door to door in search of victims.

Typically, scammers say they have materials left over from a nearby job so they can offer a “really good deal” to pave, repair or spread gravel on a driveway. They quote a low price, do a quick and shoddy job, then jack up the price when they’re done. They often give invalid addresses and phone numbers so owners cannot find them when they realized they were duped.

It can happen to anyone

“They’re slick smooth-talkers who sound very convincing and friendly at first. Once they hook someone, they intimidate their victims into forking over thousands of dollars they didn’t plan to spend,” Purves-Reiter said.  “They tend to target senior citizens, but adults of all ages have been conned by these unscrupulous contractors.”

That’s what happened to Marv and Dorothy.

The man in the pickup who approached Marv claimed to have a “little bit” of asphalt left from another job. Marv eventually gave in to the persistent man’s offer, and said he wanted a few spots on his driveway repaired. He said he’d pay $2,000 – but he didn’t get a contract.

Before he knew it, the contractor brought in a crew and dump truck, and proceeded to pave the entire driveway, including a section that had just been resealed.

“I ran down and said, ‘No, no, no, don’t put any asphalt down there,’” Marv recalled. “He said, ‘We’re going to pave and make it all smooth, and really looking nice…’ He just kept right on going. I just could not get him to stop.”

Demands $9,000

When the crew finished, the contractor demanded $9,000, bringing Dorothy to tears. Marv refused, but then agreed to pay only for the materials. The contractor followed Marv to the bank to get the agreed-upon $6,000.

Marv and Dorothy later discovered what a poor job the crew did, and that the materials on their job cost far less than $6,000. They also learned several other homeowners in the community were victimized by the contractor’s shoddy work and demands for more money. “Some of them even got threatened,” Marv said, “so they paid them to get rid of them.”

One of our inspectors investigated, and cited the contractor for unregistered contracting. The company has not responded to the infraction.

The couple told their story to their local newspaper in hopes of preventing more victims. A sympathetic, legitimate contractor saw the story and repaired the damaged driveway for free with materials donated by a local supplier.

Though the Davenports have been buoyed by the support, the scam left a scar.

“You can’t trust everybody. I found that out,” Marv said. “This country was built on a handshake, but you can’t rely on that anymore.”

The Davenports learned the hard way what the Protect My Home campaign recommends:

• Verify your contractor’s registration at ProtectMyHome.net or call 1-800-647-0982.
  
• Get at least 3 written bids.
  
• Check contractor references.
  
• Pay only as work is completed.
  
• Get a Hire Smart worksheet and more tips at www.ProtectMyHome.net
  
• Report an unregistered contractor or contractor fraud at 1-888-811-5974.
  

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1 month ago

2016 brings important changes to local wage & hour laws

January 27, 2016
By Aaron Hoffman

As the new year begins, we wanted to make sure business owners are aware of some important changes to minimum wage rules in several communities across the state.

The statewide minimum wage won’t change for 2016 — it will remain $9.47 per hour. But there will be changes in the cities of Seattle, Tacoma,and SeaTac, who set their own minimum wages.

It’s important to note that in some instances, the new city minimum wage ordinances don’t just apply to businesses located in the city limits. They also apply to employees who perform work within the city limits.

City of Seattle
In 2016, the minimum wage in Seattle for large employers with 501 or more employees is:

• $13 per hour if the employer doesn’t pay towards medical benefits.
• $12.50 per hour if employer does pay towards medical benefits.

For small employers with 500 or fewer employees, the minimum wage is:

• $12 per hour if the employer doesn’t pay $1.50 per hour towards medical benefits and/or the employee doesn’t earn $1.50 per hour in tips.
• $10.50 per hour if the employer does pay $1.50 per hour towards medical benefits and/or the employee earns $1.50 an hour in tips.

Have questions? Check out the City of Seattle’s Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

City of Tacoma
In Tacoma, the minimum wage will be:

• $10.35 per hour beginning on Feb. 1, 2016.
• $11.15 per hour beginning on Jan. 1, 2017.
• $12 per hour beginning on Jan. 1, 2018.

These rates apply to most employees who work at least 80 hours per year within the city limits of Tacoma.

Tacoma’s minimum wage will be adjusted annually by the rate of inflation starting Jan. 1, 2019.

To learn more, check out the City of Tacoma’s website.

City of SeaTac
Last year, the minimum wage in SeaTac went up to $15.24 per hour for workers defined as Hospitality or Transportation Workers. Size standards for the businesses also applied. For details, visit the City of SeaTac’s minimum wage ordinance.

SeaTac’s minimum wage is adjusted to the rate of inflation on Jan. 1 of every year, and remains at $15.24 per hour in 2016.

More information
To learn more about statewide wage and hour requirements such as overtime pay, meal and rest breaks, and hours worked, check out www.Lni.wa.gov/Wages.

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1 month ago

For mobile home owners, it’s all in a name

January 21, 2016
By Matthew Erlich

When Craig Sedlacek saw that he was getting more than 800 telephone calls a month on issues related to mobile homes, he knew there was a problem.

The solution: Make it easier for people to do business with us online.

Craig works at L&I as a supervisor for what the agency calls Factory Assembled Structures (FAS). His work involves reviewing plans and inspecting mobile homes, modular buildings and food trucks, among other vehicles. A modular building can include everything from portable classrooms to medical clinics, and FAS reviews the plans prior to permit approval. Plans for food trucks face the same process. When people want to make changes to a mobile home, some of that work requires a permit and inspection as well.

Building a better website
First, the project team conducted a usability study of the FAS website to better understand how customers expect to find information, what terminology they use and what difficulties they experienced with the current site. Then they used this real-world data, along with months of review, rewriting, and testing, to create a new website at www.Lni.wa.gov/FAS. Here are a few of the major changes:

• The site is now called, “Manufactured Homes & Other Mobile Structures,” making it already easier for people to find what they need from the agency.

• The information is now sectioned for different users, from mobile home owners, to real estate agents, installers, and food truck owners. There is even a section for county and city building officials, who often have questions about the structures.

• Buying a permit was made into a step-by-step process that makes clear what people need to do — and provides an ability to pay online.

Proof of success
Craig, who has been with the agency for more than a decade, said the key moment came when the old and new sites underwent customer testing.

Under the old website, customers struggled to accomplish the tasks in the test. With the new site, all the customers tested were able to do the tasks. Now people are finding the answers they need and, if they have more questions, they can still give Craig a call.

More improvements
This project is just one of many here at L&I. We’re continuing to make these kinds of improvements to other web pages, online services, forms, documents and letters.

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1 month ago

My workplace injury led to a new career with L&I

January 13, 2016
By Michael Friend

You never think you’re going to be “the one” to get hurt at work. But it happened to me in 2010.

My name is Michael and I’m an electrician. Late one night on a graveyard shift, I was hit by a drunk driver. The accident left me with multiple injuries. At the time, I didn’t think much about how it would impact my life. But it did.

I lost my career, but ultimately found a new one.

My story is not unlike that of other workers who get injured on the job. After the accident, I kept working, but by July of 2014, my injuries caught up with me. I needed surgery.

After surgery, I couldn’t go back to my original job because of my physical restrictions. When I lost my income, I was pretty worried about how I was going to support my family and make ends meet while accepting my new reality. Everything was changing.

A year after surgery, my doctor said I had healed as much as possible and it was okay for me to go back to work. My Claims Manager referred me to a Reemployment Specialist at L&I named Beth Rokstad. In partnership with the Employment Security Department (ESD), Beth’s specialty is helping injured workers search for jobs.

Not knowing if you’ll be able to work again is a scary thing. Once I knew for certain that I couldn’t go back to being an electrician, it was sort of a relief. I started to think about how to move forward and to focus on what I could do.

Since I had been out of work for a year and was changing jobs, I needed a bit of help. I got qualified for unemployment benefits and a program called PierceWorks. PierceWorks is a 7-week career transition and job prep program at Pierce College in Tacoma. The $2800 tuition was covered by ESD and I was able to earn 20 college credits.

The course completely transformed my approach to finding work. At first, I thought I’d just brush up on my computer skills. It turned out to be so much more. I gained confidence for interviews and spent time focusing on jobs that would be a good fit for me. I realized I wanted to work with people.

Soon after I finished my course, Beth called to check in.

I was happy to report that the new résumé and cover letter I’d created at PierceWorks had already resulted in several job interviews. In fact, just hours before Beth called, I had accepted a job offer from L&I to work as an Electrical Inspector!

It’s ironic, I know. But I’m glad to be here where I’m needed and can use my skills as an electrician while working within my physical limitations.

I have nothing but good things to say about the PierceWorks program. My instructor and fellow job seekers were so inspiring. I was honored when they invited me back as a guest speaker to encourage the next group of job seekers. I hope I inspired them and served as a positive role model for re-employment.

I’ve only been working at L&I for a few months, but I already love it here. Having been on the other side of the fence, I was pleasantly surprised with the good impressions I got even during the interview process. I had another employer pursuing me, but I knew quickly that L&I was the right fit for me.

I know L&I is all about helping injured workers heal and return to work. I just didn’t realize that I’d end up with a whole new career when I was only searching for a job.

I feel valued and appreciated here and I am grateful to Beth and her fellow Reemployment Specialists for their commitment to help workers like me.

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1 month ago

5 New Year’s resolutions for your business

January 7, 2016
By Aaron Hoffman

One of my favorite movie genres is the Underdog Story, and perhaps no movie better typifies this genre than the original Rocky from 1976. We cheered Rocky Balboa as he trained to beat Apollo Creed for the heavyweight title. Remember when he ate raw eggs, chased the chicken around the yard, or punched raw meat in a refrigerated warehouse? Yes, that was an unorthodox training regimen, but it helped him “go the distance” against the champ.

Fortunately, you don’t need to eat raw eggs to help your business succeed. Here are some things that you can do to get your business into Fighting Form for 2016:

1. Workplace posters
Did you know that state and federal law requires that all employers post certain workplace posters at their business? We recently made a change to the Job Safety and Health Law poster, so make sure you have the current version. If you don’t have posters, you can download or order them from us for free at www.Lni.wa.gov/RequiredPosters.

2. Rate and risk classes
If you’ve been in business awhile and you’ve changed operations over the years, get in touch with your business’s account representative and see if your business needs different risk classes. Why? If you’re due cheaper risk classes, you’ll save money. If you get a more expensive risk class, you reduce the chance of facing penalties and interest if your firm gets audited.

3. Manage cash flow
Put each month’s actual sales and expenses in your cash flow budget. Why? This will help you manage cash flow and know the natural ebb and flow of your business cycle.

4. Financial discipline
Check if your business’s accounting records and processes are up to the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Why? This will save you money because your CPA won’t have to spend time cleaning up your books. Also, be sure to save receipts and track the Return on Investment (ROI) on any marketing or advertising.

5. Invest in you
Set up some time to take a vacation or a break from your business. Build the business so it can run without you!

More resources for your business
Our Small Business Liaison Office is here to help throughout the year. Visit www.Lni.wa.gov/SmallBusiness or contact us at SmallBusiness@Lni.wa.gov or 1-800-987-0145 any time you have questions.

Now. Does anyone remember the name of Rocky’s trainer? Answer: Mickey — played by none other than Burgess Meredith. Still don’t recognize him? He was better known as “The Penguin” from the original Batman TV show that ran from 1966-1968.

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