Workers Comp costs reduced by Corporate Wellness Program

Safety record trims LC's insurance cost

By Canda Harbaugh, The Western News

Lincoln County will shell out about $65,000 less for workers compensation insurance this fiscal year due to an improved safety record brought about by the Lincoln County Safety Committee's implementation of a comprehensive safety and health plan, county officials said.

The cost of the county's insurance is based on the number of premiums paid, frequency of claims and the severity of claims within the past three years. Fewer and less severe accidents in the 2009-10 fiscal year also led to the county being awarded a safety credit of $6,561.

"Since the inception of the safety committee in 2009, we started slowly putting out health and safety programs to reduce the number of incidents in the county -- accidents as well as the severity of them," said Vic White, director of the Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency and head of the committee.

The safety committee is made up of about 15 employees from different county departments who volunteer to meet monthly. The group has created countywide safety manuals, monthly safety topics, departmental emergency evacuation plans, and volunteer and mandatory employee trainings, to name a few.

White applauds county employees for working toward a safer work environment, the safety committee for spending time on the large undertaking and county commissioners for making safety a priority.

"The success of the safety and health program for the county is due to the hard work of the safety committee, the county employees' involvement and the support of the county commissioners," he said.

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