Vernal City Employees have initiated a new safety program to put Vernal City in the top 25% of its workers’ compensation insurance pool. The changes in the safety culture will yield a savings of more than $108,000 in annual premiums!
I want to give a big thank you and congratulations to Vernal City’s fantastic employees, who worked hard to dramatically improve the City’s workplace safety record over the past two years.
The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) uses a safety rating system called Experience Modification Rating, or Emod. An Emod is the assigned to a company or government entity based on number of employees, types of positions, and amount of risk exposure to employees. The Emod increases after workplace injury claims are filed by the entity. The higher the Emod, the more the company pays for workers’ compensation insurance.
In 2017, Vernal City held an Emod rating of 2.28 -- the highest Emod in its pool of 380 similarly-sized government entities receiving workers’ compensation insurance through Utah Local Governments Trust. Since then, Vernal City’s department heads and employees implemented several programs designed to improve the City’s safety record. These included a safety incentive program, for which the City partnered with a local store, Basin Sports, to reward employees for fostering a safe work environment. Additionally, representatives from each department contribute to the City’s internal safety committee; department heads focus on “safety moments” with their teams every week; and the City has instituted a safety training matrix outlining safety education required for all positions.
I am proud to announce that, as a result of Vernal City workers’ diligent efforts, Vernal City now holds an Emod rating of 0.92, placing it in the top 25% of its insurance pool. This improvement in our safety measures will save more than $108,000 in annual workers’ compensation premiums! Best of all, a safer work environment means happier, healthier workers. Congrats to all Vernal City employees for all their hard work toward this fantastic accomplishment!
--- Mayor Doug Hammond