Developing and sustaining a safe work place is no easy task. It takes a village.
When the Ohio Bureau of Workman’s Compensation (BWC) issued the challenge to increase workplace safety, Necco Center stepped up with a 25% decrease in employee accidents from the previous year. The BWC lauded this accomplishment with a special achievement award. However, to Necco Center it was simply business as usual.
Over the past year, Elizabeth Cremeans and Bev Shrader of Human Resources have made a solid commitment to the Lawrence County chapter of BWC’s Safety Council to increase safety awareness. They attended session after session on topics such as Emergency Safety Plans, Accident Analysis, Modified Duty and many other risk management topics in an effort to increase workplace safety and decrease incidents. Serving as liaisons to staff, Bev and Elizabeth shared what they learned with members of Necco Center’s newly-appointed Safety Team. This team, along with Residential and Supported Living Coordinators, fostered a culture of safety in the workplace by addressing potential deficits, revising procedures, and modeling safe workplace practices. Brandon Massie, Safety Team member, feels that safety is the crux of any workplace. “Safety requires continuous education that we should apply on a daily basis. Teach it, learn it, practice it, and do it for everyone,” he said.
This team’s continued involvement, forward thinking and program modifications have produced exactly the results that BWC anticipated. In April, 2015, Necco Center received the Achievement Award for accomplishing a 25-percent decrease in incidents from the previous year. Necco Center Shift Coordinator and Safety Team Member, Josh Noel is not surprised by the achievement. “We are showing and teaching and leading our staff by example. We are providing them with knowledge but also having the proper resources for them. That’s what has helped us reduce incidents”.
So, if you visit the Necco Center in the upcoming summer months, don’t be alarmed if someone offers you bottled water while you are walking around the sunny campus. They are just concerned for your safety and want you to stay hydrated.