Share your knowledge at OSC20!

By Julie Darby Martin, BWC Safety Congress Manager Do you have the experience to help make workplaces safer and healthier? Are you comfortable speaking to a crowd? If so, you could be a presenter at our Ohio Safety Congress & Expo 2020 (OSC20), the nation’s largest occupational-focused safety and health event. We’re now accepting presentation …

It’s no accident: BWC safety staffer earns industry award

By Tony Gottschlich, Public Information Officer When industrial hygienist Phillip Rauscher talks about his job with the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC), he sounds like a third-grader on the morning of a school field trip to the zoo. “Every day is a field trip for me,” said the smiling five-year veteran of BWC’s Division …

BWC secures 7 fraud convictions in April

Fraudsters ordered to pay BWC nearly $107,000 in restitution The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation secured seven fraud convictions in April, all workers who were discovered working for a living while collecting disability benefits from the agency. Those convicted were ordered to pay BWC a combined total of $106,995 in restitution. “We look forward to …

Be TICK Smart! Protect, Check, Remove, Watch

Prevent tick bites and the diseases they carry As the weather warms and we’re spending more time outdoors, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) urges us to take precautions in preventing tick bites and the diseases they may carry. This is particularly important if you work outside. You need to take added precautions to prevent …

Ohio woman keeps BWC benefits alive after father dies

Owes BWC more than $29,000 after fraud conviction A northeastern Ohio woman pleaded guilty May 9 to workers’ compensation fraud after investigators with the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) found her collecting her father’s benefits for more than two years after he died. Deborah Rosenlieb of Cuyahoga Falls pleaded guilty to the fourth-degree felony …

BWC honors top safety councils of 2018

By Michelle Francisco, BWC Safety Council Program Manager Our efforts to protect Ohio’s workforce would not be the same without our partnership with each of the safety councils throughout the state. By offering training and other safety and health resources, they have a profound effect on the quality of life in their communities. Each May, …

BWC helps brewery succeed

New online poster archive takes visitors on a safe trip through time

By Amelia Klein, BWC Librarian Long before there was the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Ohio had the Division of Safety & Hygiene. Nearly 100 years ago, the Ohio General Assembly gave the Industrial Commission of Ohio the green light to create an agency (commonly known as the Division of Safety & Hygiene) for …

Southwest Ohio man guilty of workers’ comp fraud

Lebanon man owes BWC more than $45,000 in restitution A Lebanon man owes the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) more than $45,000 after pleading guilty April 22 to workers’ compensation fraud. Michael Dwayne Myers, 49, pleaded guilty to the fifth-degree felony in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas after BWC found him working …

Looking out for aging workers

May is Older Americans Month By Stephanie McCloud, Administrator/CEO, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Americans are living longer, and they’re working longer too. Today, one in every five American workers is over 65, and in 2020, one in four American workers will be over 55, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the …