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Reducing workers comp claims

Police, fire, sheriff agencies cutting injuries on the job

Alan Gathright, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 3, 2005 at midnight

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Denver police, firefighters and sheriff deputies racked up $14.2 million in workers compensation payments over the past five years, almost equaling the $16.8 million in combined claims of the city's 34 other agencies, according to a Rocky Mountain News analysis.

Two of the three safety agencies also posted double-digit increases in the number of claims between 2001 and 2004.

But this year is different.

All three departments are on pace to see fewer claims.

The reasons why can be found in a broad campaign to prevent worker injuries and deaths from such activities as police using stun guns, officers subduing violent suspects and safety officials monitoring fire scenes.

"I think overall everybody's taking notice and everybody's working really hard to bring injuries down," said city Risk Management Director Ray Sibley. He predicts Denver will achieve a citywide goal of cutting injury claims by 10 percent this year.

The effort to drive home to workers the human cost of on-the-job injuries and the resulting multimillion-dollar losses for the city is already working:

Firefighter workers compensation injuries jumped 104 percent to 370 claims between 2001 and 2004, but are on track to meet a department reduction goal of 220 for this year, according to the News analysis.

Sheriff deputies' claims jumped 94 percent to 148 between 2001 and 2004, but are on track to drop to 121 this year. Police claims declined 12.6 percent to 298 during the same period and are projected to dip slightly lower this year.

"Police work is inherently dangerous," said Denver Deputy Police Chief Marco Vasquez, who oversees workers compensation issues for the department. "It comes down to continually educating officers that, 'Yes, we want you to be aggressive and to be out there chasing bad guys. But we want you to do it safely, because at the end of the day we want you going home to your family.' "

Insurance rates rising

Despite declining claim numbers, the cost of public safety workers compensation insurance is projected to rise in the 2006 budget: the sheriff department will see a jump 14 percent to $1.38 million; the police department will see an increase of 6 percent to $3.87 million; and the fire department will also see a 6 percent hike to $2.17 million.

To make managers aware of the true cost of injuries, the city of Denver this year began effectively charging agencies an annual workers compensation insurance premium, reflecting the fact that claim payments keep growing for decades when workers are disabled or killed.

For example, while the city has so far paid nearly $1.4 million for uniform and civilian police workers' injuries that occurred in 2004, the department was charged $3.6 million because that's the estimate of the long-term costs based on historic trends.

"Yeah, it got their attention and that's what it was designed to do," said Sibley, adding that in the past agencies "had no idea of the fiscal impact of worker injuries."

The ultimate problem is thatprotecting the public is punishing, risky work.

Public safety workers endure a staggering toll of strains, falls and slips as police pursue and wrestle combative suspects, firefighters race with heavy gear into unstable burning buildings and jail deputies struggle to subdue ornery inmates.

Highlights from the News analysis of workers compensation data from 2001 through Oct. 31 of this year include:

• A combination of public safety workers' strains and falls tallied the most claims (1,729) and highest total cost ($8.1 million) - accounting for 57 percent of all police, fire and sheriff injury claims.

• Public safety vehicle accidents ranked second in total cost ($2.85 million), with police incurring the highest auto accident total - $2.5 million.

• Seven police gunshot injuries rated the highest cost per incident - $35,668 during the five-year period. The overall cost, nearly $250,000, will grow with time.

For example, since the May ambush shooting death of police Detective Donald Young, the city has paid his wife and children about $37,000 through October. But the projected total is more than $1.4 million in payments over 40 years.

Curbing hands-on clashes

Vasquez, the deputy police chief, said officer injuries are most often caused by attacking or resistant suspects, followed by foot pursuits, auto accidents and training mishaps as a surge of 150 recruits passes through the police academy this year.

To reduce "hands-on" clashes that often injure officers and suspects, police are relying on less-lethal weapons such as electric stun guns and pepper-ball projectiles to subdue people resisting arrest, Vasquez said.

Since 2001, they've also trained more than 500 officers to use crisis-intervention techniques to "verbally de-escalate" potentially violent confrontations with mentally ill and distraught individuals.

Many of the strain and fall injuries occur during foot chases as officers slip on ice patches or hurt themselves hurtling backyard fences, Vasquez added.

During backyard chases and raids on drug-dealer fortresses, police encounter another occupational nemesis: vicious guard dogs. Officers suffered 34 claims for animal bites during the past five years, costing $56,591.

In response, the department recently issued a training bulletin about foot chases advising officers to constantly assess whether the danger posed by a fugitive justifies the risk presented by the pursuit, or if a smarter tactic is to hold back and summon reinforcements to encircle the suspect, Vasquez said.

Officers are urged to keep radioing their position to supervisors and to be keenly aware of hazardous obstacles and the potential for ambush.

The department is also rolling out two training videos to help officers avoid attack during foot chases and to improve driving safety.

To cut auto accidents and other unsafe practices, the department uses an "early warning" computer database that tracks officer performance, Vasquez said.

Officers who have more than one "preventable accident" are sent to remedial driver training on the academy driving simulator and test track.

Vasquez acknowledged the agency has faced criticism from some from rank-and-file officers that the foot-chase bulletin, like 2001 restrictions on vehicle pursuits, "hampers officers ability to go out and chase down bad guys."

"This is a matter of balance," said Vasquez, who stressed that the department wants officers to use the safest tactics to track down those fugitives who clearly pose a threat to the public or police without needlessly risking injury to themselves - or innocent bystanders.

Wellness program

At the fire department, Chief Larry Trujillo has deputized a fire captain to serve as wellness coordinator and create individual exercise and nutritional plans to keep firefighters fit for action, said spokesman Phil Champagne.

The chief's request for about $100,000 to run the program was nixed for the 2006 budget, but the agency plans to seek corporate sponsorship to fund it.

"The chief's philosophy is that the wellness program, by reducing these claims, pays for itself," Champagne said. "Around the country, these programs have been statistically shown to diminish workers comp claims."

Champagne said firefighting is "very much an adrenalin rush."

"At a fire scene, you can go from zero-to-110 percent just instantaneously," he said. "That's a tremendous strain on your body. If you look around the country, heart attacks is probably the No. 1 killer of firefighters."

Ensuring that firefighters, especially older veterans, remain in strong shape and eat heart-healthy firehouse chow, will pay off long-term, Champagne said.

Across town at the Denver County Jail, sheriff officials are trying to safeguard workers from the residents.

"The vast majority of our (deputies') injuries come when we're attempting to restrain inmates," said sheriff Maj. Phil Deeds, the workers compensation coordinator.

There have been 41 criminal incidents resulting in deputy injury claims totalling $73,700 over the past five years.

But Deeds said he believes clashes with resisting prisoners also account for many of the 234 deputy claims for fall, slip and strain injuries, totalling $1.4 million, since 2001.

To reduce injuries, deputies are given regular refresher courses on use-of-force policies and to practice self-defense and restraint techniques, he said. Seeking to prevent such clashes, the department has a policy that before an inmate with a combative history is removed from his cell, a supervisor and at least two deputies must be present.

Another option is simply to briefly delay moving a riled prisoner, Deeds added.

"Most people when given enough time, they're going to calm down," he said.

Sibley, the city risk manager, said projections that the Denver will cut last year's citywide claims by more than 10 percent - from 1,797 to 1,550 - is just the start. Ultimately, reducing injuries could help free up scarce funding for critical city goals, such as hiring more police and replacing aging fire engines.

"We're trying to make it a safer workplace. Everybody's focused on that," he said. "And I think the number of claims going down is a direct result."

Claims for injuries: By the numbers

The city's fire and sheriff departments saw double-digit increases in claims between 2001 and 2004. The two agencies, and the police department, expect decreases this year. According to data from 2001 through Oct. 31 of this year:

$2.85 million spent on vehicle accident injury claims, including 88 percent - or $2.5 million - by police.

$156,642 Total cost of injuries suffered by public safety workers "striking against/stepping on fixed object." Total claims: 173.

$60,293 The cost of 46 dog bite claims filed by police and firefighters.

$4,692 Average cost per worker for the city's 3,045 public safety personnel in 2005.

Total claims outnumber workers: 3,205 claims to 3,045 workers.

1,729 The combined workers compensation injury claims for strains, falls and slips filed by Denver police, firefighters and deputies. The $8.1 million cost accounted for 57 percent of all public safety injury claims.

120 The claims filed by police officers and deputies injured by attacking suspects.

Total cost: $239,412.

77 Claims filed for hearing loss suffered by firefighters (believed to be older injuries that predate a nearly 10-year-old requirement that personnel wear ear protectors to shield them from wailing sirens). Total injury cost: $60,142.

27 Claims filed by public safety workers struck by a "falling/flying object."

or 303-892-5486

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