The Marion City Council at its meeting April 13 approved a 144-page manual provided by Kansas Municipal Insurance Trust regarding workers compensation.
City Administrator Roger Holter explained to the council members that when the workers compensation portfolio was shifted to KMIT, the manual was part of that process.
?KMIT provided an onsite assessment of our safety programs,? he said, ?(and the new manual) offers a lot of great advice and resources.?
According to Holter, the previous policy manual fell short of addressing all the safety concerns in any detail.
One of those safety concerns in the former manual was about filing a claim, but there wasn?t too much on resources, he said.
In the new manual, there is a section on accident investigation with the objective being to determine what went wrong.
The investigation goes on to outline responsibilities by the safety committee, city management, safety officer and employee reporting the accident.
Forms to fill out are also available in the manual.
KMIT is mailing 17 manuals, he said, for use at various locations and equipment in the city.
Holter added that he envisions the manual being in each city vehicle, but about half the size of the original manuals.
?What we are proposing,? Holter said, ?and with the assistance of KMIT is to put together this manual, which will be a reference for the city employer or a contractor performing work.?
The manual offers a reference in given areas to include loss control, accident investigation, confined space, hazard communication, respiratory protection program, trenching and excavations, lockout/tagout, bloodborne pathogens and hearing conservation.
Other areas include electrical power and personal protective equipment.
?We want to stop an accident before it happens,? he said.
Another section in the manual addresses emergency action plan guidelines, although, Holter said, the city already has a plan in place. But the manual makes it easier to access from anywhere in the community, he added.
Regarding confined spaces, he said, the manual explains safety steps to be taken or in the case of looking at bloodborne pathogens, what preventive steps need to be followed.
?This is a health and safety manual for the city,? he said. Its goal, and the goal of the employer, is in providing the safest possible working conditions for employees.
Councilor Jerry Dieter said it looks as if it follows OSHA guidelines.
?Seem like its OSHA?s manual without the name put to it,? Dieter said.
In many ways, Holter said he agreed.
The council, in other business:
? approved purchasing ebilling software from the city?s software provider. According to Holter, it would give the city the opportunity to doing email bills in lieu of paper bills. The cost for the module was $800.
? heard from the owner at 530 N. Walnut where a condemnation order is in place. The owner requested a two-week delay in the procedure. The council unanimously approved the request.
? learned more about plans to upgrade the 12.5 electrical system project from Christian Pedersen, electrical supervisor.
? approved Marion Police Chief Tyler Mermis?s request asking that inmates pay for their incarceration at the Marion County jail. All funds would go to the facility.
