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Granite County safety committee reviews injury reporting, insurance renewal and jail emergency training
Summary
At a quarterly safety committee meeting in Philipsburg, Granite County's insurance agent urged strict injury reporting after citing a later $1 million-plus claim and reviewed open property-and-casualty claims as staff prepared for an insurance renewal; the committee approved corrected minutes and set the next meeting for June 9, 2026.
At a quarterly safety committee meeting in the Granite County Commissioners Office in Philipsburg, county insurance agent Rody Holman urged staff and departments to report all workplace injuries and reviewed the county’s workers’ compensation and property-and-casualty loss reports.
Holman told the committee that keeping indemnity claims low is important because indemnity history affects the county’s experience modification factor, which in turn influences insurance premiums. He noted the factor is calculated using the three most recently completed policy periods (the county’s policy period runs July 1 to July 1) and follows the county even if the insurer changes. As an example of downstream cost risk, Holman described a case in which a “small thumb injury” later developed complications and resulted in a claim exceeding $1,000,000.
Holman also reviewed the county’s property-and-casualty files. He said one open errors-and-omissions claim involves an allegation related to the Local Government Study Commission, with a small payment made so far, and another open claim involves an auto collision tied to the sheriff’s department; the remaining claims are closed. He told the committee that departments are being contacted to supply data for the upcoming insurance renewal with the Montana Association of Counties and noted that the county could add railroad crossings to its insurance schedule if it provides locations, estimated values and photographs.
During departmental updates, the jail reported no current safety incidents. Committee members heard that jail staff are receiving training on the new E3 emergency system and that the courthouse emergency action plan will be updated after training is complete. The committee was also told the OSHA 300 log has been completed.
A maintenance concern was raised about a gutter above the jail back door where runoff is soaking into cedar shingles, which the committee noted could lead to roof damage if not repaired. The group also discussed who will take responsibility for overseeing safety matters at Solid Waste going forward.
Procedural actions: the committee approved the minutes from the previous meeting after a correction was made to the spelling and attribution of Brodie Loushin in a note about courthouse elevator layout work (the minutes had incorrectly referenced “Rody Loushin”); the motion to approve the corrected minutes carried (mover/second not specified in the transcript). Commissioner Adler moved to adjourn and Commissioner Kulaski seconded; the meeting adjourned at 9:16 a.m. The committee set its next quarterly safety meeting for June 9, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
The meeting record shows staff will collect documents for the insurance renewal and follow up on the gutter repair and assignment of Solid Waste safety oversight.
