New Mexico Workers Compensation Administration Director Heather Jordan talks about the new required poster and concerns the WCA has regarding workplace safety. Here is a transcription of the conversation between KRWG's KC Counts and Heather Jordan. And you can find more information right here.
KC Counts:
We've got some updated information for New Mexico workers to be aware of. What's new for this year?
Heather Jordan:
We have a lot of exciting things this time of year. We're doing a lot of outreach to share information about the resources that our agency provides for workers and employers around the state. The thing we're most excited about is we are launching a new workplace injury poster that employers are required to post by December 31st. The new poster is a freshened, updated, accessible-looking poster that provides information for workers to explain their rights and responsibilities for reporting a workplace injury.
KC Counts:
Let's talk a little bit about what some of those larger concerns are across the state of New Mexico in terms of worker safety and health. What would you say are the top concerns?
Heather Jordan:
I think we can acknowledge that heat, the increased heat, is definitely a concern for us, but ensuring that employers have measures put in place for their employees, such as during the summer months when it's hottest, ensuring that there's shade available, water breaks, and educating their employees on signs of heat stroke and other resources that employees need to be aware of and things that they need to look out for.
KC Counts:
What do you want employers to know? We'll talk about this from two perspectives. What should employers know about these new forms and resources available for them to make sure that they're complying?
Heather Jordan:
The most important thing to know that employers need to know is to ensure that the new workplace injury poster is posted in a visible area for their employees to see, and that there are notice of accident forms posted with the poster, or that their employees know where to get the notice of accident forms. Employees need to know what their rights are, but employers also need to know what their rights and responsibilities are when it comes to a workplace injury. The notice of accident forms are also available on our website and so is the new workplace injury poster. So employers can reach out to our agency for a copy of that poster and they can also go to our website and print it out themselves.
KC Counts:
I thought I would step down the hall here at Milton Hall, New Mexico State University and at the end of the hallway we have a very large cork board and it's got about 18 or maybe 20 of these types of posters. It is something that I think as employees, we kind of tend to walk by and they start to be like wallpaper, right? So now from the employee perspective, what is important to know?
Heather Jordan:
It's important to know that if you're injured at work, that you have seven days to report your injury to your employer. If the poster is not present at your employer, you have to 60 days your injury. What's important for the employer to know is to report that injury to your insurance carrier so that that information can be relayed to the Workers' Compensation Administration. It's important that employees know that even if they don't need immediate medical care for their injury, that they should always report a workplace injury just to have the information documented. You never know if you trip or stumble, it may not seem like it's an injury right away, but maybe a couple weeks down the line, you realize that you tweaked your back or that your knee pops a little bit when you walk. So, it's always good to report those injuries right away.
KC Counts:
Let's talk about what kind of benefits are offered under the Workers' Compensation Administration.
Heather Jordan:
Sure. There's obviously medical benefits. So, if you're injured on the job as an employee and you report your injury to your employer, you can get medical benefits through your employer. Your employer can refer you to a provider, or as the employee, you can request a provider, and you can seek medical attention for that workplace injury. If you have to miss out on work, you are entitled to indemnity benefits, which will provide you a portion of your salary while you're out on leave for that workplace injury. It's always important to know that while you're out, you should seek the medical care that you are prescribed, get any physical therapy that's required, and as always, our goal, and I think every employer's goal, is to get the employee back to work as soon as possible in a safe way; and then the employer should always follow up and have their routine annual safety inspections.
KC Counts:
Anything else you think is important that I haven't asked you about, Heather?
Heather Jordan:
I think today's takeaway should be that the WCA, the Workers' Compensation Administration, is proactive. We're always focused on awareness and making sure that we have tools and resources available to both the workers of New Mexico and the employers of New Mexico. Safety is a shared responsibility by both workers and employers. So, employers need to stay up to date on their inspections, ensure that the poster is posted in a visible area for their employees. And workers should feel confident speaking up to their employers. It's that saying, if you see something, say something. So, report anything that you feel could be a potential hazard in the workplace.
KC Counts:
Is there a particular group of workers in, say, a type of industry that you are particularly concerned about making sure that they're aware that they typically might miss this type of information?
Heather Jordan:
We are concerned with all injuries in the state of New Mexico. I think the biggest thing is to minimize all workplace injuries. We work very closely with employers on their safety programs. We provide free safety inspections for any employer who would like to take advantage of that resource. We go as far as reviewing their training programs with them to ensure that they have protective gear in place for their employees. We have a return-to-work specialist in the northern part of the state and in the southern part of the state. So, we will even work with employers to put in place a return-to-work program. So, if someone is typically in a blue-collar position, but their injury prevents them from performing that particular job when they first come back to work, we will work with the employer to ensure that there's some type of job available for them to do.
KC Counts:
I was thinking personally about agricultural workers. You know, I think I mentioned that cork board down the hall earlier, and, you know, they don't necessarily have that place where those can be visible, right, in front of workers. Do you work differently with the agricultural industry when it comes to spreading awareness, or is it the same kind of protocol for you?
Heather Jordan:
We do. We do recognize that not everyone has a hallway. We encourage those types of employers to have the poster available in the break room. I do realize that not everyone also has a break room. So we do encourage employers to have routine monthly meetings with their employees to share this information with them. If they don't have the availability to post it, a lot of employers have websites that they could also make it available to their employees. So just any method, whether it's a cork board or if they can utilize technology to share the information with their employees, we're encouraging that as well.
KC Counts:
And obviously that [technology] exists within the Workers' Compensation Administration. Where to go for more information?
Heather Jordan:
Always go to our website or visit us on Facebook or Instagram. We have a lot of useful information on social media and our website that is available for both workers and employers and adjusters and medical professionals around the state of New Mexico.
KC Counts:
That's workerscomp.nm.gov?
Heather Jordan:
That's correct.
KC Counts:
All right. Heather Jordan, Workers Compensation Administration director, thank you so much for spending the time with us to share this important information. We appreciate it.
Heather Jordan:
Thank you.
