SFM Mutual Insurance Acquires Minnesota’s Barrier Free Access

SFM Mutual Insurance Co., a Midwest regional workers’ compensation insurer, has acquired Barrier Free Access, a Byron, Minn.-based provider of safe patient handling products, design consultation and training to medical facilities throughout the Upper Midwest.

Through selling and training on products such as overhead patient lifts, Barrier Free Access helps facilities across the continuum of care protect their employees and patients from injury.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more workers are injured in the healthcare and social assistance industry than any other sector.

Barrier Free Access started in 1991 as a division of a construction company specializing in home remodeling to allow individuals with disabilities to stay in their homes. The company phased out of construction and became a distributor for a wide variety of products designed for acute, post-acute and residential healthcare facilities.

The company has offices and a showroom in Byron, Minn., and recently opened a new design and training center in New Brighton, Minn. The company’s staff includes experts in nursing, ergonomics, service and construction management.

Over its 25 years in business, the company has grown steadily by working with customers to identify their needs and then collaborating on a solid plan to meet them.

Source: SFM Mutual Insurance Co.