A focus on safety is starting to pay off for businesses across the state.

Yesterday the state approved a 10.22 percent decrease in the average cost of workers' compensation insurance in Pennsylvania.

Workers' compensation is insurance, paid for by employers, that provides cash benefits and medical care if a worker becomes injured on the job.

While most businesses will see a decrease in their workers' compensation insurance costs of up to 20 percent, others with high rates of workers' compensation claims will not share in the decrease.

"Any policy being renewed as of April 1 will be impacted by this filing," said Rosanne Placey, a spokeswoman for the state Insurance Department.

A publication by the Department of Labor and Industry that looks at the severity, frequency and losses of workplace injuries showed that workers' injuries -- though more severe than they were in the past -- are less frequent.

"We like to think that our health and safety initiatives are paying off," Justin Fleming, the spokesman for the Department of Labor said.

That was the message in Gov. Ed Rendell's press release announcing the decrease that was approved yesterday.

In the release, the governor said "Five years ago, we implemented the Work Safe PA initiative to give businesses and employees the information and technical assistance they need to enhance workplace safety practices. And it's working -- today we see the tangible benefits of that effort in the form of lower workers' compensation costs."

The total in workers' compensation paid dropped 64 percent from 2005 to 2006. The total cost dropped by $88 million to $1.73 billion in that same period, according to state figures. Mr. Fleming said the totals for 2007 will not be available until June.

The governor's office said the decrease in the cost of workers' compensation insurance will save employers across the state a total of $250 million in future premiums. By the time the newest decrease is factored in, the overall costs of workers' compensation will have decreased for Pennsylvania businesses by $750 million in the last six years.