By Bonita Wilborn
During the Alabama County Commissioners Association’s (ACCA) 90th annual conference, which was held last week, DeKalb County was recognized as one of the safest counties in the state for Workers Compensation and Liability Loss. The county was recognized due to the ongoing process to reduce workplace injuries and liability claims during the past year. This will result in thousands of dollars in savings to the county in the coming year, due to a drop in insurance rates.
DeKalb County is part of the self-insurance program offered through the ACCA and has been an integral part of the program since its beginning. DeKalb County Commission President, Ricky Harcrow, was the President of the ACCA when the state began offering a program to control loss, by offering discounts to those counties that put safety measures into place in order to decrease Workers Compensation and Liability insurance claims. “We are so proud to be honored in this manner. Our safety committee is to be commended for their constant efforts to make the county offices and properties as safe as possible,” Harcrow said.
The program allows counties to develop a safety program, and if they meet certain milestones they qualify to participate in savings to the insurance fund.
According to Harcrow, the county has been in the top three safest counties every year for the past five years, since the program was founded.
“Our people do a wonderful job in making the workplace safe and trying to keep our buildings, properties, and facilities as safe as possible for the public to visit and do business,” said District IV Commissioner Dewitt Jackson, who was on hand at the meeting where the counties efforts were recognized. District II Commissioner Scot Westbrook, who was also in attendance, noted that he is very proud of the county employees and their efforts to make things safer for all, as well as saving the county money.
The insurance fund recognizes efforts to make buildings and properties safer and requires county employees to agree to safety policies and practices, but also offers training to high-risk areas such as the sheriff’s office and road department. “We can see that it works, due to the dramatic drop in our workers compensation claims, since we implemented this program. I want to thank all those who are involved and all the county employees for their efforts in helping the county save money, but most importantly to have a safer place to work,” Harcrow said.