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Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group
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Introducing the OMAG All Access Podcast
Loss Bulletin
Monica Coleman
Municipal Employers and the Coronavirus - Be ...
Municipal Employers and the Coronavirus - Be Flexible!

Wearing Safe Clothing To Work

Wearing Safe Clothing To Work

Have you ever heard the phrase "to die for", sometimes used in reference to fashionable clothes? It kind of takes a different meaning when you're talking about the potential hazards the wrong clothes could pose in your work environment. What you wear to work may cause you to be injured! 
 
The fact is the clothes you wear to the job site can affect your safety and the safety of co-workers. A simple example is the length of your pants. If they are too long you can easily catch your heel in them stepping down some stairs or out of a vehicle and trip yourself. 

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Health Hazards

Health Hazards

Public Works has many different hazards workers need to be aware of and the municipality must have procedures in place to ensure workers are protected.  One issue to consider is Health Hazards such as Lead, Silica, Asphalt, etc.  Print the brochure below to share with your employees who may work around these hazards.  

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Municipal Fire Department Controlled Burns

Municipal Fire Department Controlled Burns

The responsibility to respond to our members' coverage questions and provide coverage interpretation primarily falls on OMAG’s Underwriting and Member Services Departments with support provided by OMAG’s Legal and Risk Management Departments. Providing a clear and consistent response to these inquiries is always our goal.

Our members occasionally ask “Does our Municipal Liability Protection Plan (MLPP) provide coverage for any property damage or bodily injury that might occur if our fire department is executing a controlled burn?” 

If your Fire Marshall or Fire Chief has jurisdictional authority to execute these “controlled burns” your next call should be to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to notify them and get further instruction on proper handling including any permit that is required or notice to property owners.  As with any other municipal duty performed, we always have a responsibility to protect the public and follow responsible procedure.   

If the proper procedures and regulations are followed OMAG does provide coverage under the MLPP.  Please don't hesitate to contact Randy Stone, Underwriting Director, if you have further questions about this topic.  Randy can be reached at rstone@omag.org or (800) 234-9461.

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New Worker, Higher Risk

New Worker, Higher Risk

New workers on the job are at a 40% greater risk of being injured on the job in the first year of service. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) new hires face a greater chance of being injured on the job when they have been in their position less than a year. Why are they more likely to be hurt? The BLS studies show that these employees lack one vital tool to protect themselves: Information. More experienced workers have learned the lessons already. Either by personal experience or by seeing someone else go through a bad experience. Let’s look at some information gathered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Surveys: 
      
27% of workers injured while working on scaffolding stated they had never received instruction on the proper way to install scaffolding or never received information on safety requirements involving the use of scaffolding. 
 
71% of workers receiving head injuries claimed they never received training on the need to use hardhats while performing their duties. 
 
61% of workers hurt while servicing equipment said they were never informed of lockout/tagout procedures in dealing with the equipment or machinery they were servicing.  
 
In nearly every type of injury studied by BLS researchers, the same story was repeated over and over; Workers did not receive instruction or training in safety prior to performing the job. Nearly 1 in 5 say they received no safety training before requested to do a task.  
 
What can Workers do? 
•    Be sure to understand all necessary safety measures before you start to work; If an explanation is unclear, ask again. 
•    Use your knowledge of safe practices – all the time. 
•    Use the proper personal protective equipment while doing the job and make sure to maintain that equipment properly. 
•    Make sure all safety guards and protection devices are in place. 
•    Don’t take shortcuts. 
•    Follow safety warning signs on equipment and chemicals you use. 
•    Ask your employer about emergency procedures and be prepared to follow them in the event of an emergency. 
 
What can Supervisors/Employers do? 
•    Make safety an essential part of the department routine. 
•    Have regularly scheduled safety meetings. 
•    Get feedback and input from employees about solutions to safety problems. 
•    Be a positive safety role model. 
•    Frequently remind employees of the need to work safely and draw attention to potential safety hazards related to the job.  
•    Document all accidents and near misses which occur on or at the job site.

Contact OMAG Risk Management Services if you have questions about this topic or other safety topics related to municipal workplace safety.  Email Kip Prichard at kprichard@omag.org or call him at (800) 234-9461. 

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Hired & Non-Owned Auto Liability, Physical Damage and Other Auto Coverage Issues

Hired & Non-Owned Auto Liability, Physical Damage and Other Auto Coverage Issues

The responsibility to respond to our members' coverage questions and provide coverage interpretation primary falls on OMAG’s Underwriting and Member Services Departments with support provided by OMAG’s Legal and Risk Management Departments. Providing a clear and consistent response to these inquiries is always our goal.

OMAG provides Hired & Non-Owned Auto Liability to all Municipal Liability Protection Plan members that schedule their autos under our coverage. This coverage provides liability coverage on an excess basis for vehicles that are not owned by the city but are driven by an employee of the city in the scope of their duties on behalf of the city.  

An employee’s vehicle would fall in the category of a non-owned vehicle with the employee’s personal insurance being primary. This coverage does not include physical damage to the non-owned vehicle.

Read further for specific scenarios when coverage would and would not apply.

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Electrical Safety Precautions

Electrical Safety Precautions

Industry runs on electricity. It is safe to use when you know what you are doing and take proper precautions. When precautions are neglected, electricity can become a killer. 
 
How you are affected by electrical shock depends of the following factors: 

•    The rate the current flows through your body. This depends on how good your body conducts electricity. If you have dry hands and are standing on a non-conductive surface such as a rubber mat, you may not even feel a shock. If you are sweating or standing in water, you could be killed. 
•    The length of time the current flows through your body. The longer the electric contact, the greater the current flow and the greater the shock. 
•    The path the current takes through your body. The most dangerous path is through vital organs. 

Your actions can protect your safety. 

•    Read and follow instructions before handling anything electrical. If you don’t understand the instructions, get qualified help to assist you… Don’t guess. 
•    Plugs should only be inserted in receptacle outlets with the same slot or blade pattern, unless proper adaptors are used. Don’t force or alter a plug by bending, twisting, or removing blades to make it fit into a receptacle outlet. Water conducts electricity. Keep wet hands from touching electrical equipment or light switches. 
•    Firmly grip the plug, not the cord, when disconnecting equipment. Yanking the cord can damage the cord, plug, or receptacle outlet and result in a shock or fire. Because electricity is present even when the switch is in the “off” position, unplug equipment, appliances, and extension cords when not in use and before inspecting, cleaning, or fixing them. 
•    Recognize signs of overloaded circuits including flickering or dimming lights, blown fuses, warm wall plates or extension cords, and tripped circuit breakers. 
•    Receptacle outlets and switches should not be painted or covered with wall paper paste. 
 
There is no margin for error when working with electricity. Conditions vary so much that without the facts, you may make a mistake and  cause injury to yourself or fellow workers. 

Contact OMAG Risk Management Services if you have questions or suggestions for other topics related to municipal workplace safety issues.  (800) 234-9461 or kprichard@omag.org (Kip Prichard).

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Night Work Risks

Night Work Risks

Work Zone Safety - Maintenance Operations and Temporary Traffic Control
Roadway maintenance activities and sometimes water/sewer line repair occur in close proximity to traffic, creating a potentially dangerous environment for workers, drivers, and incident responders. In many cases a Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) Zone will be needed to both protect workers and incident responders as well as allow for the safe and efficient movement of drivers and pedestrians through and around the Work Zone. There are several Work Zone safety issues to plan and prepare for when setting up Temporary Traffic Controls.  One issue to consider is Night Work Risks.  Print the brochure below to share with your employees who must work near equipment and traffic.

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Coverage For Personal Property of Others

Coverage For Personal Property of Others

The responsibility to respond to our members' coverage questions and provide coverage interpretation primary falls on OMAG’s Underwriting and Member Services Departments with support provided by OMAG’s Legal and Risk Management Departments. Providing a clear and consistent response to these inquiries is always our goal.

Our members occasionally ask: “Does the Municipal Property Protection plan provide coverage for our employees' personal property or property that the city stores belonging to someone other than the city?” 

The Municipal Property Protection plan states as follows: PROPERTY COVERAGE FORM / B. Coverage / 1. Covered Property / b. Business Personal Property located in or on the buildings at the plan member’s premises or in the open (or in a vehicle) within 1,000 ft. of the plan member’s premises, consisting of the following unless otherwise specified in the Supplemental Coverage Declarations.  (7) Personal Property of Others (including the plan member’s employees) used in the plan member’s business that is in the care, custody or control of the plan member or for which the plan member has agreed in writing to insure prior to any loss or damage. 

We would advise that unless the city has agreed in writing to cover this personal property, prior to a loss, and that personal property has been scheduled on the plan member's Municipal Property Protection Plan (and a premium has been charged) the employee should look to their own personal homeowner’s coverage. Even if the city agreed to cover this personal property it would only be covered in or on a building or in a vehicle within 1000 ft. of the premises. The deductible for business personal property would apply and as the minimum deductible of $1,000.00 would not appear to help in most cases, we would not think our members would be interested in covering property such as personal phones, personal laptops, office decorations etc. 

We would also advise that this coverage only applies when the property of others is used in the plan member’s business. Property which is in your care, custody or control which is not used in your business (e.g. a vehicle impounded by the police and stored at your facility) would not be property subject to coverage under the Property Plan. The plan member’s liability for damage to that property would fall under the tort claims act. OMAG’s Municipal Liability Protection Plan, however, excludes losses “arising out of damage to or loss of property, including money, in the care, custody or control of the plan member, or to which the plan member is for any purpose exercising physical control.” As such, there would be no coverage for a liability claim relating to personal property that was in the care, custody or control of the plan member and which was not being used in the plan member’s business.

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Take Care With Compressed Air

Take Care With Compressed Air

Compressed air tools are commonly used in many workplaces. Many workers take them for granted, ignoring the hazards involved in their use. Compressed air  is not “just air.” It is a focused stream of air driven at a high velocity, which can cause serious injury or death to its operator or persons in the immediate area. 

Fooling around with compressed air can be lethal. In one case, a blast of air playfully directed behind a worker startled him and caused him to fall against a moving piece of machinery. A misdirected blast of compressed air can “pop” an eyeball from its socket, rupture an eardrum, or cause a brain hemorrhage. Directed at the mouth, it can rupture the lungs and intestines. If used to blow dust and dirt off clothing or body parts, it can cause bubbles of air to enter blood stream, even through a layer of clothing. Compressed air can also rupture body organs.

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Understanding Your OMAG Municipal Property Protection Plan - How Are Municipal Properties Covered?

Understanding Your OMAG Municipal Property Protection Plan - How Are Municipal Properties Covered?

As personnel in municipal offices change, replacing the knowledge and experience of the person that served your municipality can be difficult.  Understanding insurance coverage when so many other things seem to demand our attention may not be a priority. Please let the following serve to provide a basic description of the coverage OMAG provides.  

Building Coverage – Insures the city’s structures such as: buildings, water storage towers and tanks, water/waste water plants (including lift stations), stationary generators, electric transformers & substations, emergency sirens, park structures (playground equipment, pavilions, fencing, lighting, skate/splash parks, concessions, score boards) etc.

Contents Coverage – Insures the city’s property inside or on those structures such as: furniture or fixtures, electronic data processing equipment (such as computers, printers, copiers, word processors, facsimile machines, multi-functional telephone equipment), machinery or equipment (such as equipment used for food preparation or storage); or other business personal property used in the city’s business. This property must be located in or on the buildings owned by the city or within 1,000 feet of the building's premises. 

Mobile or Contractors Equipment Coverage – Insures mobile machinery and equipment such as: backhoes, tractors, mowers, portable generators, etc.

Miscellaneous Equipment Coverage – Insures equipment installed in your emergency vehicles such as: sirens, light bars, radar, etc., or equipment used in the city’s business transported outside 1000 feet of a covered building's premises such as: hand-held radios, utility reading equipment, tools, laptop computers, cameras etc.  

Fine Arts Coverage – Insures property of rarity, historic value or artistic merit such as: paintings, statuary, rare books, antique furniture etc.   

To assure adequate protection in case of a loss, your property needs to be reviewed annually to insure it is listed on your schedules at replacement cost value. These schedules of your covered properties are sent to you each year when we send your Municipal Property Protection Plan renewal flash drive.   

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