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Commissioners review safety loss runs; county receives $13,381 State Fund dividend
Summary
At its Dec. 2 meeting the Granite County Commission reviewed quarterly safety loss runs and indemnity claims, discussed steps to increase near-miss reporting, and heard that the Montana State Fund declared a $13,381 dividend for the 2024 policy period.
The Granite County Commission reviewed quarterly safety loss runs Dec. 2 and discussed measures to reduce costly indemnity claims and increase near-miss reporting among county employees.
Unidentified Speaker 3, who presented the loss-run materials, said the county has two indemnity claims that matter most to the county’s experience modification and therefore its workers’ compensation costs. He explained that ‘‘medical-only’’ claims are discounted in the mod calculation, but once a claim converts to indemnity it counts 100% against the employer’s mod, increasing future premiums. He urged continued use of early return-to-work efforts to limit indemnity exposure.
Unidentified Speaker 6 and others pressed for cultural changes to encourage reporting of unsafe acts and near misses. Speaker 6 suggested reframing the program’s language and offering positive incentives; commissioners noted a prior program with $25 gift cards and discussed a separate end-of-year $50 incentive for staff who complete monthly safety trainings. Unidentified Speaker 3 emphasized that supervisors should not treat reports as grounds for discipline but as learning opportunities to prevent future incidents.
The presenter also announced that the Montana State Fund issued a dividend check for the policy period ending 2024 in the amount of $13,381, which the presenter described as roughly a 23% return on premium for that policy period and thanked county staff (named in meeting as Jackie) for safety work that helped secure the dividend.
On emergency preparedness, staff reported updates to the courthouse Emergency Action Plan to reflect new elevator offices and said a new e-3 security/panic system — integrated with the sheriff’s office and accessible via phones — is expected to activate in January. Commissioners also discussed a recent countywide alert test on the 28th in which some residents reported not receiving the test and agreed to follow up on delivery issues.
The commission did not take formal policy votes on changes to the safety program itself; staff were directed to continue outreach, refine reporting incentives, and include the new security arrangements in the EAP.
