Safety Training Making Positive Impact for Pottawattamie County and Residents
Posted by: Safety/Risk Management
Pottawattamie County, Iowa – Pottawattamie County Safety & Risk Management is celebrating the positive impact its policies and procedures are making, as the County is seeing historically low Experience Modification Ratings.
The Experience Modification Rating (EMR) is used to price workers’ compensation insurance premiums. Similar to a personal credit score, third parties consider an organization’s history as an indication of future risk. Insurance premiums play a significant role in the annual County budget, meaning reductions positively impact County taxpayers.
“For three consecutive years, we’ve seen incredible EMR scores as a county,” said Garfield Coleman, Pottawattamie County Risk Manager. “We like to call this a ‘culture shift’ because our trainings and discussions are not only working, but safe practices are also at the forefront of our employees’ minds. There’s always room for improvement, but we’re really pleased where things are headed.”
The average EMR, or the point at which an organization is said to be no more or no less risky than another, is 1.0. An EMR below 1.0 indicates an organization is considered safer than most, which translates to lower premiums. Pottawattamie County saw its rating climb to .98 in 2018-2019, and peak at 1.16 in 2020-2021. Significant attention has since been placed on training employees and avoiding potential safety risks. The last three years have seen the County’s EMR drop to .73, .67, and .69. The last two years are said to be the lowest EMRs Pottawattamie County has ever received. The lowest possible EMR an organization can receive, an Experience Modifier with no losses, is .51.
“All our departments are worthy of praise, as we see significant decreases in our incident reports,” said Coleman. “But considering some of the roles our higher-risk positions serve, such as staff for Secondary Roads, and Sheriff’s Office, we really appreciate their diligence in creating a safe work environment and helping minimize the burden rising insurance costs place on our taxpayers.”
To Coleman’s point, insurance costs nationwide have escalated in recent years. Despite the County’s workers’ compensation annual premiums plummeting to nearly $400,000 less than what was paid in fiscal year 2021, inflation and other factors determining its overall insurance premiums have resulted in an increase in 2023-2024.
Combined premiums have upped to $1,118,894 annually. Still, the .69 EMR for the County is believed to be among the lowest for Iowa’s largest counties. Representatives from Smith Davis Insurance, the County’s insurance broker, say the rate increases Pottawattamie County will experience are much smaller than many they’ve seen this year. The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors voted to approve insurance renewal agreements with Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP) and Iowa Municipalities Workers’ Compensation Association (IMWCA) at the Board meeting on January 31st.
Since 2019, Coleman and Safety Coordinator Jacob Head have conducted 5,535 Pottawattamie County issued safety training sessions with County employees.
For more information on Pottawattamie County Safety & Risk Management visit the department webpage.
