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.
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