Zeckelman Industries Wheatland Tube division

Zekelman Industries, with a history that reaches back 140 years in the steel pipe and tube products industry, has helped build landmark structures across North America with operations in multiple states throughout the Unites States and into Canada.  The United States locations include three in Ohio operating under the Wheatland Tube division and are in Warren, Niles and Cambridge.  The product categories manufactured under the Wheatland Tube division include electrical conduit, standard and fire sprinkler pipe, and fence framework.  With quite an impressive array of products, Zekelman Industries provides major markets with their products that touch infrastructure, national defense, transportation, agriculture and energy to name a few.

We are proud to be selected to help manage their Ohio workers’ compensation program and have observed some very good trending in the metrics we track.  The manufacturing of steel certainly presents many challenges when it comes to workplace safety and invariably looking back over extended periods of time can present examples of a variety of injuries.  However, Wheatland with their continued focus to make their locations safe for their workforce have seen the fruit of their labor with trending on both claim frequency and severity moving in a very good direction.  The safety team of Cheri Schubert and Brian Moats have synchronized efforts with our claims team to oversee the management of their Ohio operations in coordination with support from the BWC and MCO.  The primary focus has been on minimizing injuries and reducing costs associated with those that do occur.

Looking back 5 years the efforts have resulted in a reduction of total claims by over 50% and equally as impressive, claim costs that drive the experience modifier calculation (EMR) have followed the same trend.  The result has their EMR under 1.00 for the 2021 rating year with projections for 2022 sustaining that successful trend.