SAIF Corporation has traditionally provided in-depth safety consulting to medium- and large-sized businesses. In 2009 we established the Safety Services team to bring increased safety consulting to SAIF's small business policyholders, who make up a majority of our customers and employ a significant percentage of the Oregon workforce as well. The new safety management consultants provide education and consult both over the phone and in person—even traveling across the state—for a wide array of smaller companies seeking to improve workplace safety and lower their insurance rates.
Our safety management consultants also work with policyholders in Oregon's Assigned Risk Pool, the state's insurance of last resort for employers who can't obtain coverage in the voluntary market. In 2009 SAIF succeeded in bringing 158 assigned risk policyholders back into the voluntary insurance market, helping them save money and stay in business.
There's no such thing as an acceptable level of workplace injuries, and we have much work to do. In 2009, SAIF received 22 fatality claims, each one a sobering reminder of the importance of our work.