Who We Are
Reducing and controlling risk is critical for success of any risk management program. We approach our services with the idea that the best outcome for any accident is for it to never happen to begin with.
Our goal is to assist NCACC Governmental Risk Pool members with reducing the chance of loss to employees, the public, and county owned property & assets. Our risk control staff has well over a century of combined experience in safety, law enforcement, risk management, and all facets of county government in North Carolina. Also, since we only work with counties and related organizations, we continue to build on our knowledge base in concert with our individual member risk management staffs. Our team is committed to developing a partnership with these members as both subject matter experts and as extensions of their individual operations.
How We do it
Safety Evaluation
Every two years, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the organization’s safety & risk control program. The 41 questions we ask cover the critical areas of management engagement & accountability, safety program administration, hazard recognition & control, and training & staff development. We may also review past losses and utilize our other partners to complete this evaluation. This evaluation gives the member targeted areas for improvement and helps our staff tailor services for each member.
Improvement Plan
With the evaluation done, our staff works with the member to address and plan for how weak areas will be improved. The plan will include not only tentative dates for additional services but also identifies internal as well as external resources and services to be provided. These services may include additional evaluations, building assessments, or training.
Specific Services
As part of our plan, we provide many targeted services to our members:
- Review and evaluate existing safety & health programs and policies.
- Review and analyze internal policies and procedures and provide advice as to safety & risk control and safety implications.
- Assess county facilities for potential hazards and recommendations for correction.
- Provide risk review of new programs, operations, or facilities.
- Design and help implement new safety/risk control policies or programs.
- Develop customized and targeted training & staff development programs.
- Advise on compliance issues involving NCOSH, EPA and DOT.
- Industrial hygiene assistance involving indoor air quality and noise sampling.
Resources
Because we work solely with counties, we have the unique ability to bring targeted resources to our members. In addition to onsite training and assessments performed by our staff, we also provide many training resources at no additional cost to our members. This includes CountyCollege, our dedicated online learning management system. View resources.
Risk Control Resources
Transit LiftGuard Grant Program (LP)
This program provides a reimbursable grant to assist counties and transit authorities to purchase and install liftgates for transit vehicles equipped with wheelchair lifts. These gates offer an engineered solution to the unguarded opening that is created when a wheelchair lift is left unattended in the down position. The result of a passenger falling through this opening can lead to severe injury or even death.
Please contact Bob Carruth, NCACC Risk Control Manager, to learn more.
FitResponder
Soft-tissue injuries to EMS employees are one of the greatest sources of workers’ compensation claims and cost to any county. The FitResponder program provides specialized training to our first-responder medical personnel by teaching proper lifting techniques, stretching and exercising, and general wellness. In addition to the onsite training class provided by certified peer instructors, an online training platform, Injury Free University, is provided for our member EMS departments. It contains many archived training classes presented by the FitResponder founder, the late Bryan Fass.
Soft Body Armor Vest Program
This program provides reimbursement for the purchase of body armor for deputies and county EMS staff, which is only available to members of the NCACC Workers Compensation Insurance Pool.
Qualified Sheriff’s Offices and EMS Departments are eligible for reimbursement for a maximum of three (3) ballistic vests per fiscal year. It will reimburse members up to 100% of the cost of police body armor, subject to a maximum of $500 per garment, until funds are exhausted and is on a first come, first serve basis.
IMPORTANT: FY-July through December, the program is restricted to the first-time purchase of soft body armor. Replacement garments may ONLY be purchased after December 31st, and through June 30, if funds are still available.
CountyFlix
As a companion resource to CountyCollege, CountyFlix offers our members access to an on-demand streaming video library for department and team safety meetings. Videos range in length from 10-60 minutes. In addition, a companion powerpoint and discussion guide are also available. With topics covering more than 30 areas of safety and health, these videos are the perfect vehicle to use in conjunction with a staff or safety committee meeting or to kick off your next training session.
Resources Library
Over time, our risk control team has collected and created hundreds of documents including an extensive library of Best Practices handouts, manuals, checklists, safety tips, presentations, and form and policy templates on a wide variety of risk control topics. All of these resources are available in either hard copy or electronic format, so our members may customize them to fit their own specific needs and policies.
CountyCollege
In 2015, NCACC Risk Management started CountyCollege as a platform to provide convenient online training content to its members. Unlimited access to over 400 training topics is provided to our members at no additional cost. In addition to its educational role, CountyCollege may also be used to track and manage employee training. Self-initiated training events, such as internal classroom instruction and vendor-sponsored events, may be entered, assigned and tracked through the CountyCollege program. Member-created events may be customized as needed and may include tracking of workplace licenses and registration.
For a full demonstration and overview of CountyCollege, contact your regional risk control specialist or the NCACC at (919) 719-1100 or [email protected].