June is National Safety Month

Join the Municipal Association and the National Safety Council in recognizing June as National Safety Month. This year, we are celebrating your passions with the theme of “What I Live For.” 

Everyone lives for a specific passion, whether it’s family, meaningful work or a love of the outdoors. Reminding employees that engaging in safe behaviors allows them to work to support their families, and enjoy what matters most. 

The NSC has developed free promotional materials to engage employees in safety concepts for the month of June, including template posters on which employees can answer the question, “What do I live for?” Personalizing what is at stake can increase buy-in for city safety efforts. 

This year, the National Safety Council is also focused on prescription painkiller abuse; transportation safety; ergonomics; emergency preparedness; and slips, trips and falls.

Opioid painkillers, which are sold under the brand names Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, and Dilaudid, are highly addictive and should be used carefully and only when necessary. The NSC recommends that patients refrain from work while taking them and encourages patients to ask their doctors for alternatives to opioid prescription painkillers.

According to the NSC, 44 people die in the United States every day from prescription painkiller overdoses, and 70 percent of people who abuse prescription pain relievers get them from friends or relatives. Educating employees about the dangers of these drugs can keep them safe at work and at home.

The Association’s self-funded workers’ compensation pool, the South Carolina Municipal Insurance Trust, helps member cities to reduce frequency and severity of claims through regional training events each year.

In May, SCMIT offered joint training with the Association’s self-funded property and liability pool that included tips for mitigating safety hazards and investigation incidents to prevent future injuries.

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