With more than 1,400 employees spread across more than 40 locations, Goodwill Industries of Denver is exposed to a lot of risk. People donate items as small as alarm clocks and as big as sleeper sofas — and a Goodwill employee touches every one of them. Preventing employee injuries, and managing them when they do happen, is far more than a full-time job. That’s one of the reasons Goodwill had a workers’ comp policy with Pinnacol, and access to a team of workers’ comp pros that comes with it.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to workplace safety, so Pinnacol provided Goodwill with a safety expert to help address its unique needs. Allison Hoskins, a senior safety consultant, toured worksites alongside Goodwill’s own risk management team and made recommendations on how to improve their safety program and eliminate hazards. “Some consultants just want to tell you what to do,” said Stan Smith, Goodwill’s director of loss prevention and security. “Allison listens to our specific concerns and issues.” In one case, Goodwill observed some serious strain injuries when workers unloaded 300-pound bags of cloth from trucks at its stores. Pinnacol’s safety pro surveyed employees and supervisors about the task, developed a report for management, then worked with Goodwill to propose a solution: cinching the bags with bands, placing each one on a pallet, and using a forklift or pallet jack to unload it. Since the change: zero injuries.
The key to excellent claims service is getting injured workers the right benefits quickly, especially for Goodwill employees, many of whom live from paycheck to paycheck. Senior Claims Representative Daysi Bloethner is committed to ensuring workers receive the medical treatment and wage replacement they need. “I know I can call Daysi at a moment’s notice, and she’ll be there to shepherd a claim, facilitate benefits delivery and protect our organization,” said Nora Rimando, Goodwill’s workers’ comp specialist. Quarterly claims reviews with Goodwill management and the Pinnacol team helped the organization track issues, identify trends and understand the impact of every claim.
Getting injured workers back on the job as quickly and safely as possible is essential to their recovery. That’s why Goodwill partnered with Jordyn Cagney, a Pinnacol Return to Work™ consultant — and with the injured worker’s physician — to develop modified duty plans that are appropriate for the employee. The process ensures that nearly 97 percent of injured Goodwill employees are able to get back to work while continuing their recovery.
With our workers’ comp expertise, Goodwill helped its employees stay safe on the job; and if the worst happened, ensured they received the benefits they needed to get better. Keeping their people healthy is an essential part of Goodwill’s mission of providing a way for Coloradans in need to “achieve self-sufficiency, dignity, and hope through the Power of Work,” and Pinnacol wa proud to help them do just that.
