Back to Contents

July / August 2010
Volume 22, Number 4

News you can use

Field Services Amends Safety Award Criteria

After seeing many counties improve their safety records and decrease their insurance premiums, TAC’s team of loss control representatives has decided to change the qualification criteria for TAC’s Safety Awards Program. The program promotes the health and safety of texas counties through recognition of member counties that have instituted successful loss prevention programs.

Each year, counties across the state are recognized during TAC’s Annual County Management Institute in Austin. All counties participating in the Risk Management Pool for Workers’ Compensation coverage are encouraged to participate in the awards program.

The new adopted safety award criterion is intended to make the selection process more objective. It is also intended to provide an equal opportunity for all workers’ compensation coverage members to be considered for the award. A webinar about the safety award criteria changes was conducted July 8 and is available for replay by contacting Lee Bell-Hovland at lee@county.org.

One of the biggest changes in 2010 is the adoption of an application process, by which Pool members will have to apply for consideration for the award. The intent of the application is to make members part of the selection process.

Required elements of the criteria include the adoption of a safety resolution by commissioners’ court, adoption of an accident prevention plan, a seat belt-use policy and a loss ratio of 75 percent for the year in consideration.

“We recognize that county jobs are hazardous by nature and county loss ratios can be severely increased as a result of an unfortunate accident experienced by county personnel, at no fault to the employee. Therefore in an effort to address this matter, a special provision has been adopted into the criteria to mitigate these types of situations,” said Loss Control Manager Ernesto Galindo.

“We consider 2010 to be a transition year into the new award guidelines. 2010 award recipients will be selected based on those counties that closely meet the new guidelines,” he added.

Effective 2011, all recipients we will be selected on the modified criteria.

“We expect many counties applying for these awards and as in previous years we will limit the awards to the top 20 percent of the members,” Galindo said. “We are encouraging all members to be as detailed on their applications as they can be, for consideration of the award.”

In addition to the safety awards, loss control representatives will award a “Gold Star Award” to the top two applicants in each territory.