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  Approach proudly represents the employers of the SMART Dream Team, an invitation-only group whose members are the who’s who of the top construction firms in Washington state. Even among this group, certain employers stand out each year for some…

  How to use the Preferred Worker Program Despite our best efforts, some workplace injuries or occupational diseases are severe enough that full recovery isn’t possible. This is where the Preferred Worker Program can make a huge difference for employers…

  Risks to Keep in Mind When Changing from Single-Family to Multi-Family Construction   As more families continue moving to our region and buildable land becomes more scarce, many of our construction clients are finding themselves working on multi-family housing…

  The SMART Association is pleased to present its inaugural Safety Innovation Award to Snyder Roofing. Snyder Roofing has been a long-standing Dream Team participant and boasts the fourth lowest EMR among all employers in Washington State. This award recognizes…

  SUMMER SAFETY REMINDER By John Sallak There is an old, old song (I may be the only one who remembers it!) that goes “Summertime, when the livin’ is easy…..”.  Not a bad idea, when someone is relaxing on the…

  Conducting Reference Checks: Best Tips for Getting Meaningful Information By Suzan Sturholm, SPHR, All Things HR, LLC.   We are often asked “what is the best way to get the most meaningful information from a candidate’s references?” Although there…

  Small business owners know that risk can take many forms. Some companies take a risk to grow, for example, when a painting company also starts to drywall. And, some types of work just have more risk than others. A…

  We’ve been hearing that more and more Washington employers are being cited for confined space violations…   Confined spaces can be found in the facilities and job sites of just about every Approach client, so it’s important to know…

  Announcing the 2019 Retro refund calculations! The 2015, 2016, and 2017 plan year retro refunds were announced on April 26, 2019 for July enrollment groups. This includes Approach clients in MBA GRIP, PITB Transportation, SMART A Team, and SMART…

It’s not your imagination — finding good employees in Washington state is very difficult right now. Unemployment has been below 5 percent statewide for more than two years and the market is even tighter in Seattle, where the rate reached…