HR director: workers' compensation and liability claims fall after safety, PPE and policy changes

Kelly, director of human resources and risk management for the city, presented an update to the council on liability and workers' compensation and credited staff changes and new policies for a steady decline in claims costs.

"Back in 2021, our workers' comp and liability claims were over $1,000,000," Kelly said, then outlined year-by-year figures the department tracks: about $870,000 in 2022, $465,000 in 2023 and roughly $244,000 in 2024.

Kelly said the department increased onboarding training, embedded the risk manager in hiring and field orientation, and implemented two policies she called significant: a garbage-collection policy that enforces use of rear-loader tippers where available, and a dress-code/PPE policy with active crew oversight. She credited Jessica Purcell, a member of the risk team, for investigating claims, improving documentation and helping managers reduce repeat exposures.

The presentation gave department-level detail: garbage collection and transit drove spikes in 2023 that the city subsequently reduced; soft-tissue injuries (shoulders and backs) remain the top categories. Kelly said the city will pursue more root-cause analysis in the coming year to better understand recurring injury mechanisms.

Kelly described several unusual liability cases in 2023 — assaults on police officers, dog bites and uninsured drivers striking city vehicles — that contributed to liability costs that year. She said an umbrella insurance layer and better documentation have helped manage exposure.

Council members asked no substantive follow-up; the presentation moved into the public-comments portion of the meeting after questions and brief discussion.

The update closed with the HR director saying the city will continue weekly coordination meetings with central-services managers and on-the-ground follow-up to ensure crews use required PPE and procedures.