Valley County Recognized for Dedication to Safety

The MACo Risk Management Awards Luncheon was held on Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at the Midwinter Conference in Great Falls. MACo recognizes counties exhibiting a continued commitment to job site safety and whose safety performance and programs are excellent. The Awards promote awareness of workplace health and safety throughout the counties and offer the opportunity for counties to share model programs. This year, awards were presented to Daniels County, Sheridan County, Roosevelt County, and Valley County.

In attendance was county commissioner David Reinhardt, as well as Safety Coordinator for Daniels, Sheridan, Roosevelt and Valley Counties, Nancy Hamilton. On top of the award already received by the county, a Safety Coordinator Recognition Award was presented to Nancy for her dedication, persistence, and compassion about safety. Nancy has served as Safety Coordinator for these counties for the past three years.  When she took over, there was no extensive program in place. Her biggest challenge was figuring out what a safety program should look like, and getting the employees on board. Nancy does not want to take all the credit -- she says, "This has been a team effort, and I would not have been able to be successful without the support of the employees, Committee members, and Commissioners." Nancy would like to give special thanks to the Safety Committee and the Commissioners for the time and effort they have spent in developing policies, a safety manual, and new employee safety orientation, as well as instituting monthly training. Nancy is a significant leader in helping employees make a difference as they continue to strive for a safer workplace. Her job is never dull because of the constant challenging task of decreasing the number of accidents.