It's no secret that companies and their risk managers all wantto reduce Workers' Compensation claims. You would be hard-pressedto find a risk manager who didn't list that as among his or hergoals. But that's easier said than done.

However, recent research shows that offering voluntary Accidentand Disability insurance helps alleviate Workers’ Compensationclaims for businesses. This presents an opportunity for brokers tocommunicate the benefits of these voluntary policies to a client’sworkforce and serve as a trusted advisor and educator. By havingdirect access to employees and educating them on these policies,brokers can ensure the right products are selected and, in turn,help clients alleviate risk through voluntary Accident andDisability insurance.

According to the Aflac Workers’ Compensation Report, conductedby Lieberman Research Worldwide, 42% of all companies providingaccess to voluntary Accident and Disability insurance experienceddeclines in their Workers’ Compensation claims.

Another study reinforces the role Accident insurance plays inrisk management. Aflac’s “Impact of Voluntary Accident Insurance andVoluntary Disability Insurance on Workers’ Compensation Claims andWorker Absenteeism Study,” conducted by Research Now, reportsthat 40% of all companies providing access to voluntary Accidentinsurance experienced declines in their Workers’ Compensationclaims. When responses were broken down by company size, the surveyfound that 50% of large companies, 38% of medium companies and 36%of small companies all benefitted.

Additionally, when employers were asked whether they currentlymake voluntary Accident and Disability insurance available to theirworkers, 36% say that they do not offer voluntary Accident and 27%report that they do not offer voluntary Disabilitypolicies. This means it’s prime time for brokers to stress theimportance of offering this type of coverage, especially in lightof the changing health care landscape.

Impact of off-the-job injuries on business

While not every business has to worry about an influx ofMonday-morning Workers’ Compensation claims, this issue does raiseconcerns for off-the-job safety as well as safety at work. According to the National Safety Council, every10 minutes, 729 people will suffer an injury severe enough torequire a medical professional, which amounts to more than $15million. That’s $90 million in just one hour. Today, more andmore businesses believe safety outside of work promotes goodmanagement of health care costs, productivity and profits just asmuch as workplace safety.

More than 3 million nonfatal workplace injuries andillnesses were reported by private industry employers in2013, yet only 7% of workers say it’s extremely likely thatthey or a family member will become disabled in thefuture. This further underscores the importance of educatingemployees and communicating to employers that offering accident anddisability voluntary insurance policies is a key component ofbusiness success. Simply put, offering these policies is a way forcompanies to potentially save money without having to actuallyspend money.

It’s important to emphasize to clients that by making voluntaryAccident or Disability insurance available to their workers, theycould decrease the frequency and expense of Workers’ Compensationclaims and absenteeism. By providing clients with a strategy tomitigate healthcare and Workers’ cCompensation costs, brokers havethe power to demonstrate their value to clients as well as growtheir business. Added bonus: voluntary Accident or Disabilityinsurance comes at no cost to a company’s bottom line.

Michael Naumann Sr. serves as the strategic advisor at AflacU.S. broker sales.