Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Risk Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Nueces County risk manager asks commissioners for CPR equipment and a third staffer to reduce safety gaps
Summary
Risk manager Lance told commissioners the county needs $1,500 in CPR/AED equipment and a third risk‑management employee to lower the current 650:1 employee-to-staff ratio and improve training and proactive safety inspections.
Lance, head of the county’s risk management office, asked the court to approve $1,500 to buy CPR mannequins and related equipment and to authorize a third full‑time position in his office to expand training and reduce occupational risk.
Lance said Nueces County currently has about 1,300 employees and only two people in risk management—roughly 650 employees for each risk specialist—while comparable counties staff about 400 employees per risk manager. "If we had a third person in our department, we would be down around that number, 433 employees per risk management person," he said. He estimated a senior‑clerk salary and expenses at about $38,000 a year.
The risk manager described a 52‑week safety training program covering OSHA requirements, seasonal safety, defensive driving and on‑site safety surveys. He also plans CPR/AED and instructor training so county personnel can run classes internally once equipment is acquired. He said the Red Cross will train six additional instructors at half price, which would let departments check out equipment and hold classes locally.
Commissioners asked whether the function could be outsourced; Lance said outside firms could address discrete problems (for example, a mold or ventilation specialist) but that the ongoing preventive and training work required an in‑house presence. He warned that a large workers’ compensation spike could carry costs well above the annual salary for one employee and argued the investment would be cost‑effective over time.
County budget staff explained personnel requests are submitted on supplemental sheets; the court generally reviews a base budget on front pages and considers new positions and equipment as a package with recommendations from staff before final action.
The court did not take an immediate vote; commissioners asked staff to include the position and associated numbers in the budget worksheets they will review in August and September.
