POLICY RE RESCINDED A2212 DEPARTMENT SAFETY COMMITTEES AND THE SAFETY POLICY AWARDS.PDF

Maricopa County Subject: Department Safety Number: A2212
Policies and Procedures Committees and the Safety Policy Issue Date: 11/91
RESCINDED: 5/20/2015 Awards
Approved: Roy Pederson Initiating Department: Risk Management
A. Purpose
To establish the criteria for Department Safety Committees and the Safety Policy Board.
To establish work-related injury and accident procedures which are applicable to all personnel
subject to the County Merit System Rules.
B. Policy
Applicability
Elected officials who have established their own Merit Rules are requested to follow these
procedures, except where there is conflict in operating procedures. Rules and operating procedures
notwithstanding, elected officials and department directors must comply with any and all reporting
requirements established by law.
As a general guideline, elected officials and department directors should report:
• Any work-related injury requiring medical treatment or lost work days.
• Any accident, no matter how minor, which involves a County-owned vehicle.
Agency/Department Safety Committee
Each elected official or department director shall appoint an agency or departmental Safety
Committee which will hold regular meetings in order to:
• Establish, maintain, and monitor the agency or departmental loss control program,
including the training of personnel.
• Carefully investigate all accidents and report committee recommendations to the elected
official or department director.
• Make regular inspections of all agency or departmental functions to detect unsafe
practices, defective equipment, or hazardous physical conditions and recommend
remedial action to the elected official or department director.
Safety Policy Board
The County Manager shall annually appoint a Safety Policy Board which shall meet as often as
required, but not less than once each quarter, to serve as an advisory agency to County
management concerning all safety matters. This advice will include recommendations for County
compliance with applicable O.S.H.A. and State and Federal Safety Rules and Regulations as they
apply to all employees and the public.
The Safety Policy Board shall also review and take appropriate action on all fatal accidents, serious
accidents involving unusual circumstances, or any other accident referred to it by an elected official
or department director who requests assistance in determination of cause and/or corrective action.
C. Authority and Responsibility
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Maricopa County Subject: Department Safety Number: A2212
Policies and Procedures Committees and the Safety Policy Issue Date: 11/91
RESCINDED: 5/20/2015 Awards
The Department Safety Committee has the responsibility to meet monthly to review all accidents for
the purpose of determining whether or not it was preventable, and if preventable, to recommend
corrective action. Safety Committees will use the Guidelines for Safety Committee Findings and
Recommendations below for assistance in decisions as to findings and recommendations.
Elected officials and department directors will evaluate the Safety Committee's recommendation and
decide on appropriate action.
All employees are responsible for completely cooperating and providing absolutely accurate and
truthful information to the Department Safety Committee or the Safety Policy Board.
D. Procedures
1. After review of an accident case involving a County employee, Departmental Safety Committees
should make a determination as
to whether the accident was preventable or non-preventable, and cause such determination to be
filed in the employee's permanent record. Additionally, Department Safety Committees should make
recommendations to the elected official or department director using the following as guidelines.
a. No administrative or disciplinary action is recommended when the employee involved in the
accident is not considered to have contributed to the cause.
b. No disciplinary action to be taken against the employee; however, administrative action is
recommended to cause:
• The employee to be examined by a Maricopa County physician (or medical agency
under contract with the County) for reverification of physical qualification(s) for current
job assignment.
• The employee to be re-examined for validity to retain current State Vehicle Operator's
License, and/or County Vehicle Use Permit.
• The revision of work procedures to prevent recurrence of similar accidents.
• The repair, replacement, or modification of hazardous equipment or conditions to pre-
vent recurrence of similar accidents.
c. In some instances, Department Safety Committees may wish to recommend appropriate
disciplinary action. However, the elected official or department director will make the final
determination as to appropriate disciplinary action to be taken. Standard disciplinary
behavior as outlined in the Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual include:
• Oral reprimand to be administered by the elected official or department director.
• Written reprimand to be administered by the elected official or department director, and
copy of the reprimand to be placed in the employee's personnel record.
• Termination of employee's work status.
d. Other options available to elected officials or department directors may include, but are not
limited to:
• Suspension of employee, without pay, for a period of one to thirty (1-30) days as deter-
mined by the elected official or department director.
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Maricopa County Subject: Department Safety Number: A2212
Policies and Procedures Committees and the Safety Policy Issue Date: 11/91
RESCINDED: 5/20/2015 Awards
• A reduction in pay to be administered by the elected official or department director.
• Require employees to attend the National Safety Council Defensive Driver Course or
other Safety related course(s) at their own expense and on their own time.
• Job reclassification, retraining, or reassignment to a position in which the employee is
considered qualified to efficiently perform.
• Require employee to pay all damages caused to a County vehicle or other County
property per Administrative Policy A2206.
2. The elected official or department director will make a final determination and take final action on
routine and non-fatal accidents. If there was a fatality involved in the accident or the accident was
major and/or involved unusual circumstances, the elected official or department director must
forward recommendations to the Safety Policy Board (via the County Manager) for review and further
investigation.
3. If the elected official or department director determines that an employee should pay for damages to
County property or should be terminated for cause, appropriate recommendations should be made to
the proper authority for final decision.
4. The Safety Policy Board will review those accidents referred to the Board and make appropriate
recommendations for final action to the elected official or department director and County Manager.
5. Any disciplinary action against a Merit System covered County employee shall be in accordance with
the appropriate Merit System Rules.
Revision History
Version Revision Date Description of Revision
1 November 1991 Initial version.
2 20 May 2015 Rescinded and replaced by Policy A2234: Injury and
Illness Prevention Plan (C-number…)
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