K Work proposes safety overhaul for Bourbon County public works; commissioners schedule on-site walkthrough

Brandon Mann, vice president of loss prevention for K Work, told Bourbon County commissioners on July 28 that his organization can help the county build a safety program for its public works operations and reduce workplace injuries and damaged equipment. "We don't do safety from behind a desk. You can't do safety from behind a desk," Mann said, describing K Work's emphasis on on-site inspections and training.

K Work presented a suite of services it offers to counties in the pool: in-person training (including a two-hour defensive driving class and a forklift certification course), work-zone/flagging instruction, and mock OSHA-style facility inspections. Mann said K Work has 87 member counties and a loss-prevention staff of four; Monty Parish, a safety consultant with K Work assigned to Bourbon County, will conduct on-site inspections in the county multiple times per year. Mann said K Work's inspections generate reports that identify safe and unsafe practices, plus recommended next steps.

Commissioner Tran, who serves as the commission's public works liaison, described frequent equipment damage and employee injuries at the Road and Bridge shop and asked K Work to audit current processes and recommend standards and accountability measures. "It's my problem. It's not the director's problem. It's not the people's problem. It's my problem. I need to fix this problem," Tran said, urging a focus on clear standards, training and employee buy-in.

Mann and Parish described how K Work works with counties: free training on site, periodic facility inspections, and model policies that counties can adopt. Mann said Monty Parish has already inspected county facilities this year and that K Work will provide additional inspection reports; commissioners were told those inspection reports are sent to the county clerk and to county leadership.

Commissioners and K Work staff discussed practical next steps. Commissioners asked for job-task breakdowns, root-cause analyses after incidents, and strategies to rebuild or strengthen safety committees within public works. Mann said K Work can provide sample boilerplate policies that counties can adopt and that such policies also tend to lower insurance premiums. Mann also said K Work can deliver forklift recertification every three years and defensive-driving classes free of charge.

Rather than defer action, the commission and K Work agreed to an immediate on-site step: K Work will perform an initial walk-through at the Road and Bridge barn and follow up with a work session to lay out findings and next steps. Commissioners and K Work settled on a morning walkthrough at the barn, scheduled for a Wednesday at 9:00 a.m., followed by a recommendation about whether a longer work session is needed.

The presentation highlighted gaps the commission asked staff to address: documentation of current policies, clearer supervisory standards for Road and Bridge and broader employee buy-in for safety practices. K Work recommended establishing department-level safety committees (weekly brief tailgate meetings) and eventually a countywide safety committee with a designated point person or safety manager. Mann noted that several counties have appointed a single employee to manage safety programs and that the role can materially improve compliance and training.

The commission did not take a formal recorded vote on an ordinance or contract in the meeting; instead the body gave K Work direction to proceed with the site visit and follow-up work session and accepted K Work's offer to provide reports and sample policies for Bourbon County's consideration.

If implemented, the program steps described by K Work would give the commission and public works staff regular, documented inspections, training opportunities and recommended policy language to use when updating job procedures and disciplinary processes. Commissioners asked K Work and county staff to coordinate a timeline and to bring recommended policies to a future meeting for discussion.

K Work's presentation and the commission's agreement to an on-site walkthrough mark the start of a planning and implementation phase rather than a finalized policy change; the county indicated it will use the walkthrough and subsequent reports to decide whether to adopt policies, hire or designate a safety manager, or require recurring training for crews.