County changes safety wear policies

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The county approved the decision to allow the Joint Health and Safety Committee to add an amendment to the current Safety Awards Policy so there can be changes made to award options.
One modification that will be removed from the awards program is the opportunity for employees to purchase footwear, as this will be transferred to the new Safety Footwear Program.
Therefore, the amended Safety Awards program will be renamed the Safety Recognition Program.
“This request for decision separated the provision and benefit allowance from the Safety Awards Program,” said Jim Laslo, General Manager of Agriculture for Wheatland County. “All the footwear program does is allows up to $200 a year for those employees that are deemed to need safety footwear that the county will provide that much of benefit towards them and they have to pay the rest of it.”
Laslo added that the county wants to ensure that their employees are wearing safe footwear and that was the reason that they created a second program.
In order to qualify for the program, county representatives will assess the hazards at the site and identify what kind of footwear that will be needed for each employee.
Full time employees will be entitled to this program with approval of the CAO after they have passed their probationary periods.
Seasonal workers will be able to join as well, in their second year of employment on basis of rotating every two years.