To keep workers and citizens safe, government leaders need to pinpoint where there are hazards

When local governments are looking to improve worker and community safety, they should first take a step back, says Greg McKenna, the national practice leader, public sector at Gallagher Bassett, which delivers partnered claims management programs to all types of organizations, including employers and public entities, as well as insurance carriers. The company provides comprehensive solutions to limit the impact of risk. The firm offers a variety of solutions to the public sector.

“Cities and counties need to determine where areas of improvement are needed and can have the greatest impact. This is necessary to create the safest environment for employees and constituents, while also taking all necessary steps to protect public funds,” McKenna tells Co-op Solutions. He notes that completing a robust loss assessment and strategic safety plan are effective ways to accomplish both above objectives. He outlines some steps to the process:

He offers the following example: “A busy train station might have a larger number of losses, but also an exponentially larger traffic level. The goal is to find places where safety investments can have a measurable impact that will move the needle.”

The next step, McKenna says, is to establish a finite set of safety initiatives based on the data from the assessment. This part of the process, he adds, should be done in partnership with the public risk manager. “This creates the ‘why’ behind the solutions needed, whether they are an engineering solution, safety training or modification of work practices, etc., in order to improve safety.”

McKenna notes that this exercise is a change-management process that involves communication, engagement and cooperation to make a shift toward a more risk-mitigation culture in those key areas of opportunity. “In addition, we like to praise the locations and facilities that are performing well and ask them to help ‘train the trainer.’ Building allies in your organization helps the changes stick.”

He says it is important for organizations, including local governments, to track losses and mishaps to measure continuous improvement throughout the safety improvement process. He explains that insurance companies use the loss-history data within the claim system to track loss types. McKenna notes the following: “Those insurance firms pay special attention to the kinds of losses and injuries, which are the subject of the initiatives above.”

McKenna urges organizations to create executive-level reports as they proceed along their safety improvement journey. The reports, he explains, should highlight the successes (or areas for further improvement) of the group’s post-safety initiatives. “This shows progress and creates fiscal motivation to document ever-increasing savings, both in terms of human and financial capital.”

McKenna urges organizations to communicate the safety improvement initiatives to stakeholders on multiple media platforms. He suggests deploying safety-related content within safety bulletins and videos. This content, he believes, should include performance measurements to drive accountability. In addition, he suggests that organizations offer employees live courses, deeper training modules and other related curricula to provide a robust, well-rounded safety learning experience.

OMNIA Partners, who sponsors this page, offers a robust portfolio of cooperative contracts in the public procurement space. The firm lists numerous cooperative contracts under the keyword “safety.”

Michael Keating is senior editor for American City & County. Contact him at [email protected].