Hilty Home, Pandora, is the recipient of a $39,600 Safety Intervention Grant check, presented May 12 by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC), according to Jason Cox, Hilty Home administrator.

Steve Buehrer, administrator, CEO of Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, presented the check.

The grant enables Hilty Home to purchase lift systems to protect employees from injury by easing the process of transferring patients.

The visit is part of increased efforts to educate employers and workers about the importance of workplace safety and the resources available through BWC.

Hilty Home is a 61-bed not-for-profit facility serving Putnam County for 33 years. It is operated by Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio and employs 25 nurses and 75 nursing assistants.

Cox said, “Many Hilty Home residents require assistance getting in and out of bed, and moving around the facility. 

“Lifting patients require employees to twist, turn and bend in awkward positions, causing injuries to shoulders, necks, and upper and lower backs.”

The grant allows the purchase of eight overhead lift systems to enable lifting that is safe for both the patients and employees.
Cox estimates one severe back injury requiring surgery could easily exceed the cost of the eight lift systems.

BWC’s Safety Intervention Grant Program assists Ohio employers in reducing illnesses and injuries and creates a partnership establish best practices for accident and injury prevention.

Ohio private and public employers are eligible for safety intervention grants, which include a three-to-one matching amount up to a maximum of $40,000.

Quarterly data reports and follow-up case studies help BWC determine the effectiveness of employers’ safety interventions and establish best practices.

The total amount of available money was recently tripled to $15 million as part of the bureau’s Billion Back plan, which also included $1 billion in rebates and steps to modernize BWC’s billing processes.

Learn more about the Safety Intervention Grant Program and view the stories of previous grant recipients at bwc.ohio.gov or BWC’s YouTube channel.  The grants are only one of many safety-focused services provided by BWC.

To learn more about training, on-site consulting and other programs included as part of company’s workers’ compensation premiums, visit the Safety section of bwc.ohio.gov.