Monterey Park/San Francisco --  As part of its continuing effort to enhance workplace safety, the State Compensation Insurance Fund is offering a free seminar to State Fund policyholders on March 29 in Monterey Park. The safety seminar will address risk analysis and its connection to having an effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program.

Featured speakers include State Fund Senior Loss Control Consultants Alfred Varela and Julie Lavezzari; and Michael Kerney, Director of Risk Management Services.

The first section of the seminar will focus on the principles of hazard identification, assessment, communication and control. Since health and safety hazards exist in all workplaces, it is essential to determine the risk of an accident or injury occurring on the job. To this end, Michael Kerney will focus on risk analysis – identifying hazards and assessing their associated risks – so that employers can select and implement plans that are required to ensure that those risks are controlled.

Topics in this section include:

• Collecting information about each hazard or possible hazard
• Assessing the risk posed by each hazard
• Communicating the risk to the employer and workers
• Helping the employer to develop and implement methods to manage/control the risk posed by each hazard

The second section of the seminar will address hazard mapping in the workplace, and how combining hazard mapping with proper training can effectively prevent injuries and illness. Safety experts Varela and Lavezzari will discuss how to examine a worksite for potential hazards and how to take the necessary precautions to avoid causing harm to workers. They will discuss the importance of incorporating such safety practices in Injury and Illness Prevention Programs to help ensure a proactive approach is taken to safety on the worksite.

“The value of risk assessment and hazard identification in the workplace cannot be understated,” said State Fund Julie Lavezzari. “Understanding where hazards exist and how to control them will enable employers to reduce injuries and decrease their costs significantly.”

The seminar is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at State Fund’s Monterey Park District Office, 900 Corporate Center Drive, 1^st Floor. Registration and complimentary continental breakfast begin at 8:00 a.m.  Free parking is also available.

Register now for this or other available seminars.

The Monterey Park seminar is part of a series of educational programs State Compensation Insurance Fund is holding throughout the state in order to help employers create safe workplaces. State Fund has the largest safety and health services program among California workers’ compensation insurance carriers.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Established by the California Legislature in 1914, San Francisco-based State Compensation Insurance Fund is a self-supporting, nonprofit, fairly competitive public enterprise that provides workers’ compensation insurance coverage at cost to California employers.