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Minutes 05-10-10 MINUTES OF THE SAFETY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, MAY 10, 2010, AT 10:00 A.M. WEST ROOM BOYNTON BEACH CIVIC CENTER, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Mark Bobich, Chair Safety Administrator Ray Altman, Vice Chair Fire Rescue Catherine Cherry, Secretary City Clerk Chuck Magazine Risk Management Michael NaughtonLibrary Warren Bazemore Public Works Bevis Pigott Utilities Samantha Powers ITS/GIS Jody Rivers Recreation and Parks Maibet Rosado Human Resources Mike Dauta Finance/Warehouse Mike Rumpf Development ABSENT: Pam Welsh/Carisse LeJeune City Manager Eric Falstadt Golf Course Barbara Scott/Lt. Jeff Katz Police/Code Compliance I. Call to Order Chair Bobich called the meeting to order at 10:03 a.m. II. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll. A quorum was present. III. Acceptance of Minutes of 3/8/2010 regular meeting Motion Mr. Naughton moved to approve the minutes as presented. Ms. Rivers seconded the motion that passed unanimously. 1 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Boynton Beach, FL May 10, 2010 IV. Safety Committee Education & Training A short video regarding Substance Abuse was viewed. The pertinent issues from the video were: 10-23% of the workforce use some form of illegal drugs on the job ? Drug abuse reduces stimulation, creativity and job satisfaction ? Users can neglect nutrition, sleep and their physical health ? Denial was common ? A leader’s role should be established ? A corporate statement on the topic should be developed and enforced ? There should be drug awareness training including methods of dealing with drug ? use An Employee Assistance Program should be in place ? Consequences of on-the-job substance abuse includes discipline and ? termination. Symptoms of abuse were: Absenteeism ? Complaints of illness ? Frequent emergencies ? Extended lunches ? Extended vacations ? High accident rates ? Mood swings ? Deteriorating appearance ? 2 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Boynton Beach, FL May 10, 2010 Other observations noted as peculiar or unusual for the employee in the ? workplace. The video stressed that supervisors need routine training on this topic due to its impact on the job. Employees taking prescription medication must inform their supervisor, particularly those that drive or use heavy equipment, so accommodations could be made. The employee did not have to disclose what the prescription was or why they were taking it. Questions and discussion ensued about HIPPA regulations. There were provisions in the Collective Bargaining Agreements pertaining to this issue and it was thought the HIPPA regulations would override the Bargaining Agreements, the Personnel Policy Manual or any other City policy. Ms. Rosado agreed to research the matter and report her findings to the Board at the next meeting. V. Old Business A. Fire Drills Fire drills at the Hester, Civic and Art Centers were conducted. The reports were provided to the Board Secretary for inclusion with the meeting materials. B. Proud to be a Safe Worker Awards None. C. Departmental Inspections & Safety Meetings The members were requested to check the spreadsheet on the Shared Drive to ensure their departments were receiving credit for the Safety meetings and departmental inspections. It was noted Chair Bobich would work with the warehouse to modify the Inspection form so it would be appropriate for use at the warehouse. D. Defensive Driver Course Chair Bobich reported the Defensive Driving Course was going well. Some of the departments, such as the Fire Department, incorporated the course and the test into their learning systems. Risk Management was tracking them and the results were good. He commented most employees liked the shorter version of the course better and employees were doing well on the tests. E. Incident Review Board Referrals None. F. Electrical Flame Resistant Uniforms – TABLED 3 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Boynton Beach, FL May 10, 2010 This item remained on the table. Chair Bobich and Tom Balfe were working on the Personnel Protective Equipment Policy and it was hoped the item would be on the next meeting agenda. VI. New Business A. “Stay Alive – Just Drive” Program Mr. Magazine attended a seminar and met with representatives from Ft. Myers who were working on the Stay Alive Just Drive program aimed to stop people from using cell phones while driving. Bumper stickers reflective of the program were distributed and Mr. Magazine thought putting them on all City vehicles might be beneficial. It would alert the public that City employees should not use cell phones and drive. The program was discussed with the City Manager and it was suggested the program come before the Safety Committee for their recommendation. The information would be made available to the employees and the general public. He commented Ft. Myers was receiving a great deal of publicity. They were one of the prime movers of the program on the west coast of Florida. Mr. Magazine requested the Safety Committee make a recommendation whether to implement the program or not. The program was free and the City would conduct classes on the issue. There were no objections received from the members. The program in Ft. Myers was directed more to the public than it was towards the employees, but City employees would set the example. The City of Ft. Myers did not tolerate City employees using cell phones while driving unless a hands-free device was used. It was noted that policy was already in place in Boynton Beach. B. Safety Shoe Program Update Chair Bobich reported the contract with Ritz Shoes was signed. Effective October 1, 2010, employees needing the shoes would receive them via Ritz and checks to employees to purchase the shoes would no longer be issued. The program would save $20,000 to $25,000. Employees not in the Collective Bargaining Agreements needing safety shoes could be put in the same program. In those instances, the departments would be invoiced directly from Ritz. The shoes were scheduled to be delivered to the warehouse in October. Three locations for distribution of the shoes and a schedule for their distribution would be established for the month of October to ensure City operations would not be interrupted. The shoes would be labeled and bagged. It was noted if the shoes wore out they would be inspected by the Risk Management Department Safety Administrator to determine if there was a need for another pair of shoes. If so, the employee would be sent to Ritz for another pair of shoes. It was noted 4 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Boynton Beach, FL May 10, 2010 the City would supply the employee with one pair of safety shoes per year. The shoes were the only piece of Personal Protective Equipment the employee had to buy and in the past, the City issued checks to allow the employees to do so. The boots obtained for the employees were manufactured by Timberland and were good quality boots. C. Departmental Safety Issues Mr. Magazine reported the Risk Management budget was being reviewed as it pertained to insurance. In an effort to reduce costs, the City self-insured many operations and purchased excess coverage for catastrophic mishaps. The City’s automobile insurance premiums were extremely high. He recommended the City increase its deductible for automobile physical damage, similar to comprehensive and collision. In the past, there was a deductible of about $20,000. If the vehicle was $20,000 or less, the City insured it. If it was over $20,000, it was covered by the insurance company. He explained the deductible was raised to $50,000. The City was self-insuring all the sedans and small trucks. Accordingly, reducing the number of accidents was critical. The Defensive Driving training helped, but it was emphasized the employees be strongly encouraged to be safe drivers. Mr. Magazine further pointed out his budget comes from the Self-insurance Fund, which comes from the General Fund. If employees continued to have accidents, even at the current rate, there would be problems. These occurrences were part of the reason that predicated mandating the employees take the Defensive Driving Course every two years instead of three. He implored the members to encourage their departments to drive slower, stay off the phones, follow signs and drive more carefully. D. Other The members of the Safety Committee were the safety leaders for the City.Mr. Magazine pointed out if anyone noticed a hazard and was unsure which department to call, they should call Risk Management and they would notify the appropriate department and follow up. VII. Announcements A. June meeting change of location – tbd It was anticipated the June meeting would be held in the Library. Chair Bobich announced the members should check the agenda for the exact meeting location On a different matter, Chair Bobich pointed out there were not enough members to hold the meeting last month. The members were reminded to send their alternates to the meeting if they could not attend. 5 Meeting Minutes Safety Committee Boynton Beach, FL May 10, 2010 Mr. Dauta advised he was replacing Rodney Vicki as the regular member on the Safety Committee. On a different matter, he advised he would be forwarding a recall notice to other City departments regarding high impact visors. Any department that received the visors should contact Mr. Dauta at the warehouse. VIII. Next Meeting Date: Monday, June 14,2010, 10:00 a.m. IX. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, the meeting properly adjourned at 10:36 a.m. ~: Cltlu!U'llL U)..V)uL Catherine Cherry 1 Recording Secretary 060310 6