1994 apparently has been an outstanding year for the State Industrial Commission.
Commissioners Stephen M. Hadley, Tom Carlson and Colleen Colton were so excited about the year they took the opportunity to tell of their accomplishments in a two-page insert in their Christmas cards.In addition to wishing everyone a happy holiday season and a prosperous new year, the commissioners thanked people for their assistance "in helping us to make progress in fulfilling our mission in serving the people of the state of Utah."
Here is what the commission said it did this year:
- The Adjudication Division held 754 hearings.
- The time between when a hearing was requested and when the hearing was held was reduced from seven months to four months.
- Made changes in the Employers' Reinsurance Fund to make it fiscally sound.
- The Industrial Accidents Division processed more than 250,000 documents.
- Responded to more than 62,000 telephone inquiries about workers' compensation.
- Resolved 359 disputed workers' compensation without a hearing.
- Increased compliance for insurance coverage for 1,700 employers covering 10,000 employees with a potential savings of $2.5 million for the Uninsured Employers' Fund.
- Monitored return-to-work for more than 2,000 injured workers.
- The Labor Division accepted and processed 1,296 wage claims, collected $594,853, filed 235 judgments and responded to 34,228 telephone inquiries.
- The Occupational Health and Safety Division increased compliance inspections by 50 percent and substantially increased voluntary surveys at the request of employers.
- All divisions presented seminars to educate employers and workers about work-related laws.
- Printed new brochures for the Industrial Accidents, Adjudication and Anti-Discrimination divisions.
- Rewrote the Safety Division data base and started work on an Industrial Accidents Division data base.
- Certified 5,900 boilers and 1,357 elevators after inspections.
- Issued 851 coal mining job certifications.
- The Anti-Discrimination Division closed a record 851 cases.
- Continued the alternate dispute resolution process in anti-discrimination cases and resolved 60 percent of the charges filed within the first 60 days.
- Answered 30,000 telephone calls about discrimination questions.
- Installed a new system for filing unemployment claims by telephone for the Utah Department of Employment Security.
- Paid $71 million in state unemployment benefits.
- The commissioners and the Legal Division issued decisions on 150 appeals and reduced the appeal time from six months to six weeks.