Montgomery County Safety and Health Program

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

Montgomery County, Maryland Enhanced and Proactive Safety Culture Traditionally, Montgomery County, Maryland’s (MCG or "the County") Department of Finance, Division of Risk Management, Safety Section (“Safety Team”) was only able to support a reactive safety program for County operations based on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) mandate. More recently, the Safety Team has moved to a more pro-active Safety Culture throughout MCG. In 2018, the Safety Team assessed the MCG safety and health program and identified opportunities for improvements in the safety and health culture County-wide. We focused on work around compliance with safety rules, OSHA regulations, and the motivation of the employee and management population towards seeing operational safety as a critical metric in operations. The Safety Team partnered with the County’s Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (DCAO), the Department of Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS), and the Department of Finance IT Division. Goals were established and a path was charted for the development of tools to build a new, positive Safety Culture for MCG. A goal is for employees to make workplace safety an integral part of their workday. Technology streamlined communication and brought efficiency to the program. Another objective is decreased accident frequency and a safer workplace. Safety is permeating the County’s culture.