Town of Smithsburg, MD Chapter 105 Safety Policy

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Town of Smithsburg 3-2-2010. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 105-1 Findings and purpose.

A. The management of the Town of Smithsburg is very conscious of the safety and welfare of its employees and that of the general public. As an employer, the Town recognizes its obligation to ensure the safest possible workplace for its employees. As a governmental entity, it recognizes its responsibility to provide a safe environment for the public it serves. Most accidents can be attributed to unsafe acts or conditions generally associated with wasteful and inefficient operations.

B. It is our belief that most accidents are preventable. In accordance with this belief, we have allocated resources to administer an aggressive safety program for our Town.

§ 105-2 Organization of safety program.

The safety program is organized in a committee system. Each department or public service division is responsible for its own accident prevention program. The Town has appointed a Safety Director who is responsible for coordination of the Town's overall safety efforts. In that capacity, this person, however, is not responsible for line functions that are normally a responsibility of department heads and supervisors. It is expected that department heads will complement the efforts of the Safety Director, assuring that realistic efforts will be taken to reduce accidents and injuries and provide for the safety of the public. These efforts should be continuous and equal in importance to all other operational considerations.

§ 105-3 Duties of management and supervisory personnel.

To reach our goal of providing a work environment as free of potential hazards as is realistic, management and supervisory personnel are held accountable to:

A. Provide leadership and guidance to the Town's work force.

B. Provide proper training of employees and undertake job and public hazard analysis in all departments.

C. Develop proper job procedures for Town operations and enforce them.

D. Minimize the severity of injuries through prompt and adequate medical care.

E. Continuously review work practices and conditions of the work environment and public safety, seeking improvement.

F. Maintain accurate records that document the above actions.

§ 105-4 Responsibility of employees.

All employees are responsible for cooperation with, and support of, safety program objectives. All employees are expected, as a condition of employment, to adopt the concept that the safe way to perform a task is the most efficient and the only acceptable way to perform it.

§ 105-5 Safety records.

Safety records shall be reviewed along with other phases of department head, supervisor and employee performances. Therefore, it is essential that such records be complete and accurate and that all accidents be fully reported as the same occur.