WORKERS' COMPENSATION FAQs

Contact us to learn more about protecting your business with workers’ compensation insurance.
A Safety Group is an insurance program that enables employers in the same industry to pool their insurance premiums with the goal of reducing the cost of workers’ compensation insurance.

Our Safety Group offers services to group members including performing claim reviews and advisement, loss control support, as well as assisting with underwriting, auditing, billing, policy and Workers’ Compensation Board issues. Our primary goals are to promote safety, reduce worker injuries which will save you money and produce aggregate group results sufficient to generate a dividend for our group members.

Hamond Safety Management, LLC is a Safety Group Manager for New York State workers’ compensation insurance, handling the business needs of the following groups:

Group 533Woodworkers Association of New York State Inc. -Woodworking, lumberyards and building material dealers.

Group 534 Association of Contractors & Fabricators of New York Inc. – Contractors and fabricators, including almost all types of contractors.

Group 501 – Association of Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Inc. – Plumbing, heating, and cooling contractors.

A dividend is a sum of money paid annually by the New York State Insurance Fund to its group members out of its profits (or reserves).
Contact our Claims Department at 516-762-4230 to discuss your options and filing procedures. You can download the eFROI worksheet from our Resources page and email it to claimsrpt@hamondgroup.com (or fax to 516-488-2167).
Your presence is most important.  An “EC-16” form is sent with the date, time, and location of the hearing.  If you are subpoenaed to testify you will receive a letter indicating your attendance is imperative.  Please do not hesitate to contact a Hamond claims specialist if there is a question about a hearing.
A Hamond claims specialist will contact you if you need to testify to discuss.

Every case is different.  If you are subpoenaed to testify it will be for an issue you have first-hand knowledge of.  For example, the supervisor is the best to testify in regards to first notice of injury and a coworker would be the best to testify in regards to a witness to the injury.  Any hearsay will not be accepted by the Workers Compensation Law Judge.  It is important to be on time, dress appropriately, and practice what you want to say beforehand.

 

Yes. You can set up a login online with the New York State Insurance Fund website to issue certificates directly as needed 24/7 at this link:

http://ww3.nysif.com Once you have registered, the New York State Insurance Fund will provide you with a password. Upon completion of this process you will have access to create, print, and email certificates of insurance when it is convenient for you.

Or you can always get certificates by emailing us at certificates@hamondgroup.com.

If you find certificates you no longer need, just fill out this form listing the certificate numbers. Email the form to certificates@hamondgroup.com (or fax to 516-488-2167) and we will void the certificates in the New York State Insurance Fund system.
Subrogation is the legal right of a party (usually an insurer) who pays off a claim for their insured to then go after another party who is responsible for the loss.  In practice, this could lead to continuing lawsuits.  If you “waive” your right to recovery prior to a loss and the carrier recognizes that you did, then it all stops after they make payment for the loss as they agree to be “stuck” with the loss.  The exception is if the employee claimant subsequently files suit and recovers money for a claim that was already paid out, the carrier can move to recover it (i.e. so that the claimant doesn’t profit from “double-dipping”).
We can have a blanket waiver of subrogation endorsement be added to your policy for no additional charge. This will satisfy your contractual requirements for waivers of subrogation. The waiver clause will appear automatically on all of your certificates once the endorsement is applied to your policy. You can request certificates containing the waiver clause anytime by emailing your request to certificates@hamondgroup.com.
The New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board defines the New York Construction Classification Premium Adjustment Program (CPAP) program as follows:

“The New York Construction Classification Premium Adjustment Program (CPAP) is a program implemented by the New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board in 1993 in order to address premium differences between high wage and low wage paying employers in the construction industries.  At that time it was noted that although both high wage and low wage employers performed similar work, the high wage employers were paying a disproportionate premium solely due to the wages that they paid their employees. This disproportionate premium payment affected the ability of the high wage paying employers to obtain jobs when their workers’ compensation costs were higher than those of the lower wage paying employees, despite having similar risk to injury on jobs. This program attempts to close the premium differential by granting credits on policies based on the hourly wage paid by employers. The higher the wage paid then the higher the credit, which would offset the disparity in payrolls and allow for a more equitable premium charge for those employers in the same industries.”

The CPAP credit must be applied on an annual basis. In order to be eligible to apply, your company must be experience rated for the policy term the credit applies to. Your policy must also contain at least one of the following classification codes:

0042  3365  3724  3726  3737  5000  5022  5037  5040  5057  5059  5069  5102  5160  5183  5184  5188  5190  5193  5213  5221  5222  5223  5348  5402  5403  5428  5429  5443  5445  5462  5473  5474  5479  5480  5491  5506  5507  5508  5536  5538  5545  5547  5606  5610  5645  5648  5651  5701  5703  5709  6003  6005  6017  6018  6045  6204  6216  6217  6229  6233  6235  6251  6252  6260  6306  6235  6251  6252  6260  6306  6319  6325  6400  6701  7536  7538  7601  7855  8227  9526  9527  9534  9539  9545  9549  9553

If you would like more information, or to confirm eligibility, please contact us at 516-488-2800, or email ryu@hamondgroup.com.

 

If you are a Hamond Safety Group member please contact our safety department as soon as possible to set up an appointment to start the process. Do not hire an outside consultant because this service is free to group members.  Contact our safety division for further advice on OSHA inspections and safety issues at 516-762-4224.
• Ask to see the inspector’s official credentials if he or she does not offer them.
• Identify the company representative that you have designated to supervise the inspection, and inform the inspector that all inspection activities should be coordinated through your designated representative, no one else.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions, including why your facility or worksite was chosen for inspection (employee complaint, referral by another agency, etc.).
• Ask to see a copy of the written complaint if there is one.
• Confirm with the inspector what he or she wants to see and do, and how long he or she expects to be at your workplace. Be courteous, but keep the inspection moving toward completion.
• Reach an understanding with the OSHA inspector that the inspection will be limited to the areas or conditions listed in the complaint or referral. For example, if an employee files a complaint about defective forklifts in the warehouse, then the inspection should be limited to forklifts in the warehouse, not other areas. The OSHA inspector will usually investigate other observed violations in “plain view” during the investigation, but your company representative should not be afraid to object if the inspector wants to expand a limited investigation into a lengthy “wall-to-wall” inspection, without justification. Contact our safety division for further advice on OSHA inspections at 516-762-4224.

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