RISK PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS — 2022
City of McAllen
Safety Heroes Campaign: An All-Inclusive Approach To Safety
The City of McAllen’s main goal is to promote safety throughout the workplace and to ensure all employees make it home safely every day. The city restructured the safety program to add numerous essential components that would serve to decrease incidents and provide a cost savings, benefiting all employees and maximizing organizational success. The McAllen Safety Heroes Campaign that was developed features an all-inclusive approach that includes redirection and recognition. The Safety Heroes Campaign has had a very positive outcome for the City of McAllen, including a 27 percent decrease in workers’ compensation claims, a 26 percent decrease in all property and casualty claims, and a cost savings of over $200,000 annually. These cost savings have allowed the City of McAllen to invest back into the safety program for employees such as more trainings and purchasing improved safety gear.
Indeed, the Safety Heroes Campaign has made safety heroes of each employee in the City of McAllen. From DWS 74 job descriptions for every position and mandatory training on safety policies and procedures for new employees, the City of McAllen ensures employees are prepared for how to do their jobs safely. Another important component of The Safety Heroes Campaign involves the 85 assigned safety officers throughout the City of McAllen, that lead their departments in all things safety! The officers participate in a monthly panel, where they discuss department injuries, accidents, root causes, & prevention and pivot approaches to reducing incidents. A critical aspect of safety is training. The City of McAllen’s Risk Management Department hosts personalized safety training by department. This personalized safety training resonates better with employees and their takeaways become more relatable.
Safety meeting attendance rates have increased with the training approach, with a 90 percent participation of citywide employees. Because of the Safety Heroes Campaign, the fleet motor vehicle administration insurance rates have dropped by 25 percent since the implementation of the driver’s certification program. Recognizing exemplary acts of safety is also important, so throughout the year, departments nominate one employee has been exemplary in safety. The Risk Management Department then hosts a city-wide celebration and ceremony that honors employees where one is selected as the recipient of the Safety Leadership Award.
For more information, please check out this video.
City of San Antonio
Office of Risk Management Safety Buy-In Video Competition
Safety professionals understand that the true measure of safety begins with buy-in from both its top level management and employees. The City of San Antonio’s Office of Risk Management continued its efforts to foster that buy-in by sponsoring an employee safety video competition concerning two factors that many industries struggle with: Distracted Driving and Slips, Trips, and Falls. The winning video was submitted by the team from the Convention Center. View the winning video. View all video submissions.
City of San Marcos
Scan Here! Making Risk Management More Accessible
City of San Marcos employees know they can reach out to Risk Management any time of day or night, weekday or weekend, regarding risk management-related issues. We set the goal of increasing accessibility to create a more efficient process for not only our team, but also for our employees and we created a Risk QR code!
In December 2021, the team rolled out an all-inclusive safety manual. We decided the manual would be strictly electronic so changes can be made as processes and practices change; the online manual can be found on the Risk Management page of the City’s employee portal.
A lot of time, effort and collaboration went into the manual, so we wanted to make its release known and accessible to all employees. In January, a “Kick Off the New Year with Safety on Your Mind” promotion baskets that included New Year’s celebration goodies and candy, as well as a flyer with the Risk QR code front and center were delivered to every department across the City and an email that contained the flier went out to all City staff the same day the baskets were delivered.
The Risk QR code on the flyers and in the email directed employees to the Risk Management page on the City’s employee portal, where employees would see the icon to access the online safety manual. In February, we updated our “If you’re in an accident” cards to include the Risk QR code. These cards are located in all City vehicles and employees are trained from day one on the job to be familiar with where the card is so they can be prepared should they get into an accident.
In the past, employees have called post-accident to get a blank copy of an accident form, causing a slight delay in the form making it to the risk management office. With the Risk QR code right at their fingertips, they can simply scan it and fill out the form on their phone or tablet.
Recently, Risk Management business cards were created to have the risk management team’s contact information, but it also includes the Risk QR code that directs employees straight to the risk management page on the City’s employee portal. In addition to the accident form mentioned above, employees can find other forms and safety resources on this page, such as injury report forms, heat safety education, driver safety education, clearinghouse registration information, etc. These business cards have been distributed to all current City employees and are
handed out at each new employee orientation.
The implementation of a Risk QR code created accessibility to the Risk Management team and resources. It has also helped to bring awareness about our team and the services and opportunities our team offers to City employees.
Lewisville ISD
Elementary Rover Patrols and Blue Plate Lunches
Lewisville ISD partners with surrounding police agencies including Highland Village,
Flower Mound, Lewisville, Carrollton, The Colony, and Frisco to provide safe learning environments for students and staff.
Throughout the summer, district leadership and local law enforcement met to discuss the protocols and possible improvements to the safety procedures in place for Lewisville ISD. Lewisville ISD began utilizing extra duty police officers through inter-local agreements to increase police presence in and around all elementary campuses and highlight community partnerships between Lewisville ISD and the police departments, while not impacting staff levels of on-duty officers. Lewisville ISD also continues our Blue Plate Lunch, where police officers eat free at campuses and the schools have additional police on site outside of our assigned School Resource Officers.
The District continues to find ways for students and staff to communicate and develop relationships with police officers, and the Blue Plate Lunch is also a way to show appreciation to police departments for what they do and increase police visibility across our campuses.
Also new for 2022-23: an increased police presence on all campuses. The implementation of the Elementary Rover Patrol Program, where our law enforcement partners provide uniformed officers in marked vehicles to monitor
elementary campuses. Weekly perimeter checks of all exterior doors by district and campus administration. The addition of a tip line for elementary families to report suspicious activity. (Remember, if you see something, say something!) The emphasis by all district staff on the importance of reporting suspicious behavior instead of spreading rumors on social media. Extensive training by law enforcement partners on Lewisville ISD campuses, giving our police the knowledge and tools they need to respond to real emergencies. Strict procedures for all individuals using the
doorbell system at the entrance of all Lewisville ISD facilities. Reminder: Don’t follow in the door behind someone, and don’t allow someone to follow you through the door.
Northside ISD
Ergo, Evac, Crosswalk: No Training Left Behind!
Many school districts in Texas provide required safety training centered around compliance such as Hazard Communication, Bloodborne Pathogens, Personal Protective Equipment, and other related topics. Additional recommended training that is student-focused and employee driven sometimes gets lost, forgotten, or left on the back-burner until an incident happens.
At Northside ISD, we decided that no training gets left behind! This includes ergonomic assessments, Evacu-Trac, and crosswalk safety. Northside ISD’s Board Safety Policy states: “The Board of Trustees, Superintendent, and administration of the District are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for all employees, students, and others who may work in or visit our schools and facilities.” Furthermore, it states, “it is the position of the District that quality job performance and accident prevention shall co-exist and be merged to create an atmosphere of efficiency, productivity, and safety.”
In order to achieve these operational safety standards and outcomes, the Risk Management Department has strengthened its injury prevention and training program to include elements of worker ergonomics, Evacu-Trac training, and campus crosswalk safety. These program elements were identified as areas for improvement after a thorough analysis of incident trends, investigation findings, and customer requests were conducted.
Ergonomics, the “science of work”, evaluates the relationship between the human worker and their environment. At Northside, individual ergonomic assessments are conducted to increase efficiency, productivity, and safety for the worker. The number of reported repetitive motion injury claims requiring a DWC-74 evaluation steadily decreased by 86% from 2017 to 2022 (present). Overall, the District experienced a 15% reduction of workers’ compensation claims for employees holding clerical positions from 2021-2022.
From worker ergonomics to emergency evacuation, Risk Management has continually developed its Evacu-Trac training program to meet District needs. An Evacu-Trac is a device used to evacuate a student or individual with mobility disabilities down the stairs in the event of an emergency. Campuses with an Evacu-Trac device conduct training annually with designated special education and teaching staff. Staff is encouraged to practice using the device during their monthly fire drills to maintain competence and confidence throughout the year in the event they have to use it in a real-life scenario. The training consists of watching the manufacturer’s instructional video and participating in hands-on training conducted by Risk Management.
From emergency response to the campus crosswalk, student and employee safety is a critical component of the campus traffic management plan. This past school year ‘21- ‘22, there were 3 injuries reported that took place in the crosswalk. This school year ‘22- ‘23, NISD PD and Risk Management provided crossing guard and campus-specific safety training to increase personal safety awareness and reduce injuries (slips/trips/falls). Campus-specific safety training included watching a crossing guard video, hands-on cone setup, crosswalk maintenance (clearing out debris and mud from environmental conditions), wearing safety vests, using illuminated STOP paddles, wearing proper footwear, preparing for the weather, and staying vigilant. To date, no further employee-related incidents have been reported.
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