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The Ebola Epidemic is a Reminder to Take Workplace Safety Seriously



One of the benefits of working as an employee benefit professional in a small to mid-size company is that your job duties are broad. In addition to administering health and retirement plans, a benefits pro may manage the workers' compensation, safety and security programs. In larger organizations multiple individuals in multiple departments such as human resources, risk management and security perform these tasks.

If you are a benefits pro who assumes risk management duties such as safety and security, you need a whole other skill set from your basic health insurance and retirement plans. These skills include but are not limited to:
  • Handling workplace emergencies
  • Identifying and removing hazards
  • First aid
  • Facility inspections, and
  • Safety procedures
You also need to know what is going on in the wider community and in the world and how it may impact your workplace. For example, the flu pandemic (swine flu) of 2009 meant that employers had to do more than offer their standard workplace flu shot programs. Employee benefit professionals responsible for health and safety had to educate workers about the pandemic and provide information and guidance on how to stay healthy. Continue Reading...
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