Atkins council adopts employee safety manual after consultant presentation

AtkinsCity Council voted unanimously on Dec. 18 to adopt an employee safety manual developed with True North Companies, a measure the city says grew out of a 2024 risk assessment following an on-the-job incident.

The manual, presented by consultant Sarah Hollander of True North Companies, lays out the citys commitment to safety, general safety rules, guidance on subcontracting hazardous tasks (including confined-space work), personal protective equipment requirements, an emergency action plan and incident-reporting procedures. "The importance of this piece of it is that all employees go home in the same or better condition when they arrive," Hollander told the council.

Scott, the city administrator, said the city entered its contract with True North in December 2024 to respond to an accident and recommended risk assessment and has been conducting monthly safety meetings with employees. He said the manual will be distributed to staff, who will sign an acknowledgement receipt, and that the city hopes to bid safety services in the spring. Scott linked the effort to efforts to control workerscompensation insurance costs: "This last year we took quite a jump in the cost of the premiums of our workers compensation insurance," he said, arguing the manual and training could help reverse that trend.

Council members welcomed the manual but emphasized that policies must be enforced. One council member said the manual had been prompted by an OSHA-related matter and warned that without implementation "we've failed"; another urged that consequences for violating rules and a clear accountability pathway be spelled out and that a follow-up meeting or subcommittee review the remaining items. The council asked staff to return with any needed clarifications after approval.

The council entertained a motion to approve Resolution 2025205 to adopt the employee safety manual. After a second by Fisher and a roll-call vote, the motion carried. The council recorded affirmative votes during the roll call and verbally indicated the motion carried.

Next steps include distributing the manual to employees, collecting signed acknowledgements, continuing monthly safety meetings and returning to the council with any follow-up items the members request. The resolution does not itself create a specific enforcement mechanism beyond the policies in the manual; council members signaled they expect staff to propose accountability steps in subsequent meetings.