WSI was only following law

In an Aug. 13 letter to the editor, Tom Asbridge wondered how 377 North Dakota business received over $11 million "in taypayer monies" through Workforce Safety and Insurance's HELP grant safety program, and why more information about which businesses received those dollars wasn't forthcoming following a recent North Dakota attorney general's opinion. I'd like to shed a little light on the program and why certain information was shielded when it was released.

Safety is the most important aspect of our business. If businesses can prevent injuries from occurring through the purchase of safety equipment that is specifically tailored to preventing injuries, that's a good deal for everyone. That's why the Legislature authorized WSI to develop safety programs like HELP, which stands for the Hazard Elimination Learning Program. This program ended last fall. But in nearly two years, 377 North Dakota businesses applied for and received, on a 5-to-1 matching basis, with WSI paying the lion's share, grants of up to $50,000 to purchase safety equipment for their businesses.

During the lifetime of the HELP grant program, $11.4 million in safety interventions were spent in an effort to curb injuries in our state. These are not general fund or "taypayer monies" as Mr. Asbridge alleges, as WSI receives no general fund appropriations. WSI is supported through workers' compensation premium dollars that all North Dakota businesses must pay.

Finally, when the attorney general asked WSI to release the names of the 377 businesses that received HELP grant money, he specifically excluded WSI from releasing how much money each business received. He wrote, "the grant amount does have a reasonable potential to reveal an employer's premium amount and that is prohibited under (law). If this is not the intent of the Legislature, it should consider amending the law in the next legislative session."

A similar restriction applies to claim payment information as well. So, whether it's an allocation of over $11 million in safety grants provided to businesses or an allocation of approximately $225 million in benefit payments to injured workers during this same time period, current law does not provide for releasing these amounts on an individual basis.

WSI is supportive of measures to become more transparent but until such efforts become law, we must follow the existing law. That, to quote Mr. Asbridge, is the essence of democracy.