Workers’ Compensation coverage is provided for injured or disabled employees. Workers’ compensation insurance provides benefits to employees for work-related injuries. Coverage includes medical care and a portion of lost wages when the employee is unable to work. This insurance also provides benefits for the employee's dependents if the employee dies during work-related duty. Medical care, changing workplaces and workers, loss reporting, litigation and deliberate fraud can all drive workers' compensation costs. Ascendant links its risk loss control, claims, cost management and underwriting services to focus on helping businesses manage those costs just as they manage any other part of their business.

Loss Control / Risk Management Services

When you partner with Ascendant, you and and/or your clients gain access to the added value of a tailored loss control program. Our Loss Control Specialists offer a valuable service that helps maximize safety and reduce employee injuries. By analyzing the history of each individual insured, the workplace, business processes, and providing realistic risk management plans, we increase safety and ultimately reduce the cost of doing business.

Risk Management and the Added Value to our policyholders:

• Introduction of operational, managerial and cultural elements of a safety program. Considering that the foundation for a culture of safety takes time, commitment, and practice, safety in the workplace is an on-going process.
• A baseline hazard assessment unique to your business to identify incident trends and areas of concern.
• Introduction and Implementation of “Tool Box Safety Meetings”, documented on a weekly / monthly basis
• Employee Background Screening and Drug Free Workplace certified by safety engineer
• Electronic files of HR tools, inspection forms and questionnaires to assist on employee selection and hazard recognition.
• Onsite visits to jobsites conducted where most claims activity have occurred and are expected to assess the areas and procedures.
• Safety committee meetings conducted on a bi-weekly and/or monthly basis to review recent claims activity.
• Recommendations on preventive measures during safety committee meetings.
• Currently valued loss runs provided as needed.
• Quarterly loss control / claims analysis reports prepared and presented to upper management.
• A formal employee orientation training program as needed.
• A formal accident / incident reporting system as needed.
• Development of a master safety program.

Loss Control Goals:

• Minimize accidents and/or incidents.
• Enforce a stringent process of screening and of hiring new employees.
• Establish the process of identifying the root cause of accidents / incidents through the use of a consistent internal reporting system.
• Emphasize the importance of supervisors’ role in being the key competent in accident prevention.
• Implement safety training sections for supervisors.
• Ensure all new employees are thoroughly trained in safety procedures and retrain those employees that have a near miss or injury. If feasible, get employees involved with training. Not only will the employee trainers begin to take training more seriously, but so will all the other employees who see the most experienced workers buying into—and participating actively in— the training process.
• Continue to conduct regular onsite visits to job-sites with the most claims activity.
• Enforce balance between discipline and positive reinforcement.
• Implementation of good safety performance recognized at all levels of the organization. Employees need to be rewarded for working safely and taking safety training seriously. They need to hear constant positive feedback about safety behavior from their supervisors, get recognition for paying attention in safety training sessions and using what they learn on the job.
• Continue enforcement of safety rules and policies. These should to be clearly defined and consistently enforced.
• Continue to support a “top-down” company culture to ensure each level of the organization is perceived as contributing effectively to the safety effort. A positive attitude towards safety at all levels of the organization is a must, in addition to a climate conducive to adopting safe attitudes and work habits.
• Finalize production of a master safety program unique to your business.

We will work with every policyholder to:

• Minimize and prevent accidents through the use of our loss control services. Our safety consultants will evaluate every risk and develop a program tailored to each policyholder’s specific business industry to recognize hazards and assist in implementing corrective actions before an injury occurs.
• Effectively manage claims and control claims costs.
• We provide ease in reporting first notice of injury via email, facsimile, or telephone.
• Our workers’ compensation claims specialists average over 15 years in handling work-related insurance claims.
• Our claims handling specialist will make immediate contact with the injured worker and other staff.
• We provide medical support through the use of telephonic and field case managers, who have been identified by our management team as the most qualified in their respective fields.
• We work with our policyholders to identify opportunities for workers who are recovering from injuries to return to work in transitional positions while assisting them to adhere to prescribed guidelines.