Careful! State and federal laws have strict requirements covering who qualifies as an independent contractor. You could be liable for workers' comp and unemployment claims.

For further information, read Section 2 of the Grow chapter of the Washington Small Business Guide.

Read the Start chapter of the Washington Small Business Guide. It will give you information and links tailored to your industry and location.

No. Owners of businesses (sole proprietors), exempt corporate officers, and partners aren't required to have workers' comp coverage in this state. LLC members generally are exempt from workers' comp but there are exceptions to that rule, depending on the structure of the LLC.

Find details about LLCs and coverage on page 15 of the document "Workers' Comp Recordkeeping and Reporting Guidelines."

You may choose to have workers' comp coverage ("elective coverage") if you and other corporate officers/LLC members are exempt. Contact L&I Employer Services at 360-902-4817 or complete and send the Elective Coverage Application form.

Find answers and resources online at "Overtime and Exemptions." Don't find the answer you need quickly? Contact the Small Business Liaison at 800-987-0145.

The L&I Employer Assistance Program may be able to help. First, even if you can't pay your quarterly report on time, always file your report on-time to prevent L&I from estimating and collecting a higher estimated tax. Second, contact us in advance if you know you will not be able to make your quarterly premium payment. If you have a good payment record, you may be given extra time to make your payment. Contact your L&I account manager. If your payment is already overdue, call the number on the monthly billing statement.

In many cases, yes. Contact the revenue agent listed on the monthly billing statement or Notice and Order of Assessment or call 1-800-301-1826 and tell us that you would like to negotiate a payment agreement. You may need to provide financial information to the revenue agent, depending on the length of the payment agreement.

No. You aren't required to purchase workplace posters from these marketing firms. However, state law does require employers to post workplace posters, which you can get free of charge from L&I and other agencies. We will mail them to you free of charge. You can order posters online or call an L&I office near you.

Contact the L&I Small Business Liaison or L&I Employer Services at 360-902-4817. An L&I account manager will determine your correct workers' comp risk class and the rate you would pay per employee hour worked.

You must be a registered contractor if you do any of the following types of work or if you offer or submit a bid to:

• Construct
• Alter
• Repair
• Consult of superintend
• Add to or subtract from real property
• Improve, move, wreck or demolish
• Develop residential property for sale
• Install cabinets, remove trees or "flip" houses

Read "Small Business Basics" for safety and health, featuring:

• Safety and health checklists
• Injury fact sheets
• A-Z safety and health topics
• Required training and plans
• Sample accident prevention programs

Yes, under certain guidelines. For more information contact:

Washington State Drug-Free Business Initiative
1-800-598-3437
www.drugfreebusiness.org

Find answers and resources online at "Overtime and Exemptions." Don't find the answer you need quickly? Contact the Small Business Liaison at 800-987-0145.

Possibly. An employer's rates are affected if the claim becomes a compensable claim. A claim is compensable when L&I pays an injured worker for lost wages, a partial permanent disability payment (PPD) or a pension.

A claim that requires only medical treatment and not payments for missed work or a disability is considered non-compensable. Medical costs on a medical treatment-only claim aren't charged to your workers' comp insurance history until costs exceed $2,120. If you have a claim-free discount, medical-only claims never count against your rates, regardless of the cost.

An employer may choose to keep an injured worker on full salary and benefits while the worker recovers from a workplace injury rather than have the worker receive L&I time-loss benefits. In some cases, this can be financially beneficial to an employer. Read more about managing a claim in this online publication, "Employer's Return-to-Work Guide."

No. By law, an employer can't pay for an injured worker's medical expenses associated with an on-the-job injury. Besides, the first $2,120 of costs on each medical-only claim is not charged to the employer's experience history and rates. This discount does not apply to time-loss (wage replacement) claims.

Find answers and resources online at "Leave & Benefits." Contact the Small Business Liaison at 800-987-0145.

Visit the Employer Audit Self-Service Library for helpful resources on this topic.

Find answers and resources online at "Teen Workers." Contact the Small Business Liaison at 800-987-0145.

Within 8 hours, report any in-patient hospitalization, death, or probable death, of any employee to L&I's Division of Occupational Safety & Health, 1-800-423-7233.

Beyond that requirement, firms with fewer than 10 workers generally are exempt from requirements to track and report all workplace injuries, and some businesses with more than ten employees are also exempt – those specifically listed in WAC 296-27 as being in low hazard retail, service, finance, insurance or real estate industries.

For a better understanding of state and federal injury reporting requirements, see the L&I Division of Occupational Safety & Health description of OSHA 300 Reporting Requirements.

Use this guide to help you respond to a workplace injury claim. If you need help, contact the claims manager for your claim. Their name and phone number will be on claims documents sent to you. You may also contact an L&I Small Business Liaison.

Go to L&I's Workshop & Training Center to get information about workshops, training and certification programs offered by L&I, as well as online courses and a number of other resources.