Montana State Fund Dispenses $35 Million to Businesses With Strong Safety Record

The Montana State Fund is the insurance carrier for worker’s compensation in the state and according to President and CEO Laurence Hubbard, many Montana businesses will be seeing some safety dividends soon.

"It's really good news for Montana businesses," said Hubbard. "In September our board of directors had the opportunity to make a decision to declare a $35 million dividend to safe policy holders around Montana. So, of those 25,000 policies we have, about 23,000 customers will receive, an average of 26% return on premium."

Though many businesses will reap the benefits of a safe work environment in the coming weeks, Montana has a poor record for workplace safety overall.

"Human beings are not disposable tools and the safer we can keep our workplaces, the healthier our economy, the healthier our people, and it is just the right thing to do. So, it's a change of culture that we need in Montana, because in our industries, across the board, we injure more people compared to our neighboring states and compared to hte national average."

Hubbard says that about three million dollars will be coming to Missoula-area businesses. One of the businesses highlighted on a statewide tour is Missoula’s Summit Roofing which was able to keep workplace injuries to a minimum.