Blackledge Furniture
A High Commitment to Safety… Significant Savings Through SAIF OBI CompSAFE Program
Blackledge Furniture is a fourth generation family business started in 1901 to serve the home furnishings needs of the mid-valley region. The store originally sold furniture, bedding, rugs, paints, musical instruments, and even undertaking services, as was common for furniture stores at the time. Things have changed a bit in the furniture business since that time, but Blackledge has remained focused on its founding values of satisfying the furnishing needs of consumers by offering the best possible quality, value, shopping convenience and support services from its Corvallis location.
Over the years, Blackledge Furniture has had an excellent safety record. Co-owner Eric Blackledge shared a few of the secrets of his company’s safety success. “Our warehouse-delivery staff starts daily morning meetings with stretching exercises and safety reminders. We get good information from customers about the details of their delivery situation so we can anticipate how many people or what special equipment will be needed to accommodate the situation.”
For those rare occasions when accidents do happen, Blackledge Furniture relies on SAIF OBI CompSAFE for its workers’ compensation coverage needs. “We’ve participated in the program since it started,” Blackledge continued. “The savings we see through the program are a great value. For many companies, the lower premiums alone would cover the cost of a basic OBI membership.
“We haven’t had a claim since the 90s, though when we did, SAIF was there. They confirmed that the claims were valid, and made sure that the injured employees received an appropriate level of care. There was great communication at every step of the way.”