.png)
Contributed photo/OCRC Managing Director Mark Timmer and Assistant Manager-Clerk Renee Curtis display the road commission’s recent awards.
OCRC has the lowest injury rate in the state in its payroll class.
HART — The Oceana County Road Commission received three statewide safety awards this week from the County Road Association Self Insurance Fund (CRASIF).
CRASIF is the worker’s compensation/liability pool for 72 of the road commissions in Michigan.
The first award is the Goose Egg award for zero reportable worker’s compensation losses during 12 months. “Zero workers’ compensation losses in our industry over a 12-month period is phenomenal,” said Fund Administrator Joyce Porter. “We had to come up with an eye-catching name for the award, since it is a unique achievement.” CRASIF provides safety training and workers’ compensation coverage for road commissions.
“You can’t get any better than zero incidents and zero losses,” said Chairperson of the CRASIF Board of Trustees Tom Doty, who is also a commissioner at Mackinac County Road Commission. What is amazing is that road commission work mainly involves manual labor and putting our people at significant risk of harm while they work in the roadway. The road commission is either lucky or good with employee safety. A little bit of both helps.”
“Zero workers’ compensation losses also mean that more of the taxpayers’ dollars can go directly to maintaining our roads,” said Porter. “The road commission should be applauded for its extraordinary achievement.”
OCRC has received nine Goose Egg awards over the years.
The second award is an Honor Roll award for having a lower than average injury rate. “Low injury rates just don’t happen in our industry,” said Porter. “Maintaining 75 percent of all roads in Michigan is the responsibility of county road commissions and departments. It takes energy and focus to constantly remind employees that their safety on the job is a primary concern of management.”
The third award is for OCRC having the lowest injury rate in the state in its payroll class. “Road commissions that have lower-than-average injury rates qualify to be on our Honor Roll. Oceana County Road Commission not only got on the Honor Roll, it also had the lowest injury rate in its payroll category. They are the best of the best. They should be recognized for their achievement.”
“These awards are a great reflection on staff and bargaining unit employees and their commitment to working safely on a daily basis and their buy-in to safety training and using the correct equipment and PPE,” said OCRC Managing Director Mark Timmer.
The awards were announced at the CRASIF annual membership meeting in Bay City Tuesday, Sept. 23.
_____________________
Please Support Local News
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news.
Payment can be made monthly via credit card, bank account, PayPal or Venmo through recurring email invoicing. These payments can be set up for autopay each month.
To sign up, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources. For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address.
Alternative methods:
- We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation.
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with monthly financial support.
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2025, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
