Prior to allowing initial entrance into the state’s retrospective rating plan, the department shall review each proposed retrospective rating group to ensure that the following criteria are met:

(1) The entity sponsoring the retrospective rating group must have been in existence for at least four years;

(2) The entity sponsoring the retrospective rating group must exist primarily for a purpose other than that of obtaining or offering insurance coverage or insurance related services;

(3) The entity sponsoring the retrospective rating group must have a written workplace safety and accident prevention plan in place for the proposed retrospective rating group and must propose methods by which the retrospective rating group will cooperate with department claims management activities;

(4) All employers in the retrospective rating group must be members of the sponsoring entity;

(5) All employers in the retrospective rating group must have an industrial insurance account in good standing with the department;

(6) Fifty percent of the original employers in the retrospective rating group must have been members of the sponsoring entity for one year prior to the group’s entrance into the retrospective rating plan;

(7) The retrospective rating group must be composed of employers who are substantially similar considering the services or activities performed by the employees of those employers;

(8) The initial premium level for the retrospective rating group must be at least one million five hundred thousand dollars and shall be based on the standard premium of the proposed group members’ most current previous coverage period; and

(9) The formation and operation of the retrospective rating group must seek to substantially improve workplace safety and accident prevention for the employers in the group.