It's a list the Town of Bridgewater doesn't want to be on. The Worker's Compensation Board has named the town on its list of employers with bad safety records. The list is 16 percent longer this year. WCB reports that 92 employers will receive a surcharge in 2011, up from 79 this year. An employer’s claims costs must be at least three times their industry average for at least four consecutive years to be surcharged. Surcharges are cumulative and can add an additional 20 per cent to a firm’s base rate each year. Before they are surcharged, employers receive two warnings – one in each of the preceding two years.
Mayor Carroll Publicover says the CAO is looking into the matter and will report on the impact on the town in terms of dollars, and how to get off the list. Publicover says he doesn't have the specifics, but they're probably public works kind of accidents that made the list and the police force could even come into play.