RMC Archives

Note: The following messages are from the RMC group on Yahoo Groups, before the mailing list was moved to the Lyris Listserv on the ITSD web server.

From: Dahl, Brett <bdahl@mt.gov>
Date: Mon Jan 7, 2002 2:36pm
Subject: Various

Happy New Year! THANK YOU everyone for your attendance and participation at RMAC on December 7th! Lots of great discussion and feedback! By way of follow-up: 1)The minutes from the meeting are now posted on our website. Please review them carefully. Let us know if you have any changes or questions. 2)The 'In Case of Accident Form' has been re-printed and will be distributed to each of you in the near future. We are printing more copies since some agencies needed several hundred and there were not enough to go around. Please make sure that one form is placed in each and every vehicle that you own or lease. The form serves as a certificate of insurance so you must have it in case you are pulled over or stopped by law enforcement personnel. 3)We did not have time to discuss the Safety Program Self-Assessment form at RMAC, however, remember that your agency must complete that form and submit it to the Department of Administration by July 5, 2002. We will report to the Governor's Office on agency progress in establishing and maintaining comprehensive and effective safety programs. Keep in mind that the self-assessment report also serves as a basis upon which the Governor recognizes your achievements through GESA (Governor's Employee Safety Awards). We hope that you're making progress. The Department of Administration and the State Fund will be meeting with a number of your agency heads in the coming weeks and months to ask for their personal commitment and to support your efforts. 4)I am very interested in knowing how your agency decided to implement the newly adopted 'vehicle use rule.' Will your agency require all employees to sign the vehicle use agreement or will you just require those that drive frequently. In general, I'd like to know how implementation is going and if there are obstacles to implementation that we can help you overcome. This rule does nothing to address the state's vehicle exposure unless employees read and understand the rule and why it is important. 5)Some of you have asked about the insurance survey that was discussed at RMAC. I am meeting with the state's underwriters in mid-January to find out what additional information they might need. The survey has proven to be very difficult to assemble so don't count on it anytime soon, however, we are hoping to get something out by April 1, 2001. 6)Finally, Aric is busy scheduling StreetSmart 9 to 5 and First Aid/CPR training. THANK YOU for promoting this event within your respective agencies. --BRETT

From: Curtiss, Aric <acurtiss@mt.gov>
Date: Fri Jan 11, 2002 2:12pm
Subject: RMTD Training & Property Inspections

RMAC Reps, I hope 2002 is going pretty well for everyone so far. It should be a great year! This is just a note of a few items of interest going on at RMTD. 1) Our course "Street Smart from 9 to 5" is offered at a number of locations through the end of February. You should have received a yellow flier for this course. If need fliers or more information please contact me ( acurtiss@mt.gov <mailto:acurtiss@mt.gov> ). Last time we offered this course every location sold out and the course was offered nearly twenty additional times. This time we are able to accommodate more students per class. Space is available on rosters at all locations. The first offering is Wednesday 1/16 in Bozeman with another offering Thursday 1/17 in Butte. If you have any employees interested please have them register at the Training page of the RMTD website ( www.discoveringmontana.com/doa/rmtd <http://www.discoveringmontana.com/doa/rmtd> ). This course is very popular, especially with today's environment. The course will help employees recognize a potentially violent or hostile situation and react to it appropriately. That is, they will learn how to react to the situation or individual in a way that does not escalate the hostilities. Anyone who works at a front desk greeting the public, or anyone who interacts with potentially hostile people (public, contractors, clients, coworkers) can all benefit from this free course. 2) As a service from our property insurance carrier we can have a number of state buildings inspected for any fire or fire related peril. These inspections are conducted by a professional Risk Control Engineer and do not effect our insurance coverages in any way. These free inspections have already identified many, many potential fire sources at locations we have already inspected last year. The costs of claims and losses these past free inspections have helped to prevent are conceivably worth millions of dollars for the state. Over the course of the year inspections will be conducted in a number of areas of the state. If you, or your agency would like to have any state owned building or facility inspected for fire and related perils, or if you just want more information, please contact me ( acurtiss@mt.gov <mailto:acurtiss@mt.gov> ). Inspections are scheduled to be conducted in Helena, Wednesday, February 6th. Contact me if you would like to have a location scheduled for these inspections. 3) Fliers for upcoming American Red Cross First Aid & CPR courses provided by RMTD will be mailed in the next few days. As discussed at our last meeting, this course is offered at no charge. The course has a limited student to instructor ratio and space may be limited. With limited space we would like to offer the available seats to various locations before any locations have duplicate registrations. This will assist in having first aid and CPR trained employees at the maximum number of locations. As such, we ask that the agency RMAC representatives coordinate registration for this course. Employees are asked to contact their RMAC representative to register. Please register your employees through the RMTD website after you have determined their location does not have a representative already registered. Multiple representatives from any location may receive seats in the course if they are available. Please register these employees with a notation that they are secondary. RMTD will contact you if there are seats available. We hope this process works for all. Again, contact RMTD with any questions or concerns. 4) Recall, the State Vehicle Use Rule has been adopted. It is available under Statutes, Rules and Policies at the Safety & Loss Control page of the RMTD website, ( www.discoveringmontana.com/doa/rmtd/ <http://www.discoveringmontana.com/doa/rmtd/> aboutus/statutesrulespolicies.asp). RMTD conducted Defensive Driving courses this past Fall across the state prior to the adoption of this rule. These courses will again be offered in the Spring at multiple locations. In the event your agency has employees who are required to attend this course per the Rule prior to the Spring offerings please contact RMTD. The Defensive Driving course, as well as any other course offered by RMTD, may be scheduled as needed. Hopefully we do not encounter too many employees who are in this situation. As always, if you have any questions or concerns I, or anyone here at RMTD can help you with, please don't hesitate to contact us. Thanks, Aric Curtiss

From: Curtiss, Aric <acurtiss@mt.gov>
Date: Wed Feb 20, 2002 1:47pm
Subject: RMTD Trainings

As we prepare to hold the last scheduled open enrollment offering of Street Smart From 9 to 5 it's time to look at our upcoming training opportunities. Our Risk Finance Specialist slash Part-time Trainer, Kristie Rhodes and I have brought the Street Smart course to seven major locations across the state to nearly 200 state employees. All participants gave raving reviews. Many participants gave comments or suggestions to make this a mandatory course for employees of their own departments and even to all state employees. If you don't recall, this course discusses and practices techniques to diffuse hostile situations which may (and do) arise during a day at work. This course will again be offered open enrollment next winter. Our next course is American Red Cross First Aid and CPR. Paper fliers with all of the details were sent to each of you a few weeks ago. Thanks for promoting this very important course. Many agencies have registered participants from all locations. This is great to know a co-worker will soon be trained on this valuable topic. The life saved may be yours, or mine. As these course offerings draw near we are opening the registration to all state/university employees on a first-registered basis. Please register employees electronically at www.discoveringmontana.com/doa/rmtd <http://www.discoveringmontana.com/doa/rmtd> at the Training page. Remaining seats are limited but available at all locations so hurry. This course is free and the same course offered by the Red Cross. Locations are Bozeman next Thursday, 2/28; Kalispell 3/06; Missoula 3/07; Great Falls 3/14; Helena 3/27; Helena 3/28; and Billings 4/04. Each is a one-day course from 9:00am to 4:00pm. See your paper fliers for specific locations. An electronic copy of the paper flier is attached. Following the First Aid/ CPR course we will again be offering Defensive Driving. This will again be our new 4-hour course. Watch our calendar for the dates and locations. Expect these to begin early May. This will be a final chance for your agency to earn your 5% return. As always, if you have questions or concerns feel free to contact me at 444-3486 or at acurtiss@mt.gov <mailto:acurtiss@mt.gov> . Or you can contact any of the RMTD staff at 444-2421. Aric Curtiss Risk & Loss Control Specialist

Attachment: (application/msword) FirstAidCPR.doc [not stored]

From: Dahl, Brett <bdahl@mt.gov>
Date: Mon Mar 18, 2002 4:37pm
Subject: Various

Hello Everyone! It's that time of year once again! No, I'm not referring to spring! At least not yet! I am, however, referring to the collection of your early-return-to-work, defensive driving, and employee safety program information. 1) Please visit with your agency head and the powers 'that be' within your agency. If you are interested in the auto liability (defensive driving) discount and/or the Early-Return-To-Work scheduled credit, you must complete the attached forms below and send them to Kristie Rhodes by April 15, 2002. <<defensivedrivingdiscountfy2003.doc>> <<ertwenrollmentfy03.doc>> 2) The Safety Program Self-Assessment Report is due on July 5, 2002. Each agency in the executive branch is required to complete the form. Attached is an electronic version of the form and instructions. Please send me a completed copy, as well as any other attachments that you deem necessary. We will be reviewing your self-assessment forms and your account management plans with the Montana State Fund and the Department of Labor & Industry as a basis for submitting a bi-ennial report to the governor and in determining your eligibility for the Governor's Employee Safety Program Awards. <<safetyprogramselfassessment.doc>> <<safetyprogramselfassessmentinstructions.doc>> 3) I'm interested in any additional feedback that you have about the quality and breadth of services offered by the Risk Management & Tort Defense Division and Montana State Fund over the past year. As always we are interested in coordinating, refining, and/or improving the level of service provided. 4) We decided not to send out our property/casualty survey prior to renewal on 07/01/02 as we promised at our board meeting in December. We were able to get at most of the information another way through the new state property/casualty insurance information system. Finally, I've asked Aric Curtiss to chair the Safety Day Steering Committee this year. He will be asking some of you to participate in the planning of our next Safety Day. Any of you want to volunteer, please contact him at ext. 3486. Specifically, I've asked Aric to work with the Steering Committee to look at ways to make this event more meaningful as well as to improve attendance. Have a great spring! --BRETT

Attachment: (application/msword) defensivedrivingdiscountfy2003.doc [not stored]

Attachment: (application/msword) ertwenrollmentfy03.doc [not stored]

Attachment: (application/msword) safetyprogramselfassessment.doc [not stored]

Attachment: (application/msword) safetyprogramselfassessmentinstructions.doc [not stored]

From: Curtiss, Aric <acurtiss@mt.gov>
Date: Wed Mar 20, 2002 5:46pm
Subject: Defensive Driving for Spring 2002

RMAC Representatives and others, I hope everyone woke up Wednesday morning and enjoyed Spring time in Montana. You have to love it! Many of our roads greeted Spring with impassible conditions. Just by coincidence I spent the day scheduling the spring offerings of our Defensive Driving course. Eight offerings are scheduled across the state and will be posted on our website very soon. Paper tri-fold fliers are at the printers right now and should be in the mail by the first week of April. The first open enrollment course is scheduled for May 8th. Also, due to various requests, a separate E-flier was produced for this round of Defensive Driving courses. This E-flier is attached and you are invited to e-mail it to anyone and everyone. You can also print it and post it as you wish. This flier is created in Word 97 and should open okay for everyone. If for some reason it does not look right when you open it that's just luck. Wait for the paper fliers to be mailed and let me know and I will try to correct that. Pre-registration is required for this course and every location has limited space. Pre-registrations will be accepted starting right now. Space will be given as electronic registrations are received. When the spaces are gone, they're gone! Register at the Training page of the RMTD website at www.discoveringmontana.com/doa/rmtd <http://www.discoveringmontana.com/doa/rmtd> . If your agency signed up to participate in our Automobile Insurance Premium Discount program last spring, these will be your last chances to meet the 3% participation and other requirements for this year. Brett recently sent RMAC the enrollment forms for next year's program. Also, recall that the state Vehicle Use Rule is in place and may effect employees. While I speak of spring driving in Montana I'd like to direct everyone to the very helpful and informative website of our co-workers at the Department of Transportation. Surf over to www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo <http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo> and click on the map of Montana to get up-to-date information on state roads and weather. This is a very handy site to place in your favorites. As construction season approaches, this site will also access regular construction updates. Knowing we don't always have access to the web while travelling you can also obtain current reports by phone. Statewide road conditions are available at 1-800-226-ROAD. Local numbers for road reports in the areas of Kalispell, Missoula, Butte, Bozeman, Billings, Miles City, Glendive, Wolf Point, Lewistown, Havre, Great Falls, and Helena are also available at this website and from the 800 number. This is good information you may want to share with your employees and customers. On another topic, State Fund partnered with RMTD in January to provide a new course titled, "Building an Ergonomics Team". This course went over very well and popular demand insists we do it again! A second offering is scheduled from 9:00AM to 11:00 Tuesday, April 9th in Helena. Watch for more information about this course offering. This course promotes ergonomic awareness and teaches people how to review a workstation for common ergonomic concerns. As ergonomic issues are a leading cause of employee discomfort and injuries (and agency expense) this course is very timely and informative. Plan now to attend with all of your friends! As always, if there is anything I can help you with, please feel free to contact me at acurtiss@mt.gov <mailto:acurtiss@mt.gov> or 444-3486. Be Safe, Aric Curtiss RMTD

Attachment: (application/msword) EFlierDDCSpring02.doc [not stored]

From: Curtiss, Aric <acurtiss@mt.gov>
Date: Mon Mar 25, 2002 10:06am
Subject: Defensive Driving @ C.Falls & Missoula

Before too many of you notice my errors on the E-flier sent last week please disregard that version and replace it with the corrected version attached. The correct dates for Columbia Falls and Missoula are May 8th and 9th, not the 5th and 6th. Thank you, Aric

Attachment: (application/msword) EFlierDDCSpring02.doc [not stored]

From: Dahl, Brett <bdahl@mt.gov>
Date: Tue Mar 26, 2002 11:21am
Subject: FW: 15-Passenger Vans / Driver Training Doesn't = Safety

Council Members, I thought that you might find this additional information on 15 passenger vans to be useful. We estimate that state and university system owns over 250 of these types of vehicles. Feedback on our Van Safety training program has been very good. Contact me at ext. 3687 if you have additional questions. --BRETT -----Original Message----- From: Hall, Dewey Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 11:12 AM To: Ore, Winnie; Dahl, Brett Subject: FW: 15-Passenger Vans / Driver Training Doesn't = Safety FYI Dewey -----Original Message----- From: Michael D. Thomas [mailto:mthomas@SAFETYFORUM.COM] Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 8:15 AM To: SAFETY@LIST.UVM.EDU Subject: 15-Passenger Vans / Driver Training Doesn't = Safety Hello all, This is a long reply to the 15-passenger van thread, but I hope that you all find the information useful. At Safetyforum.com we have been passionately confronting the dangers of 15-passenger vans since before NHTSA released their consumer advisory I commend the precaution of training one's drivers. Too many universities and other institutions simply let folks pick up and drive their van pool vehicles with no training at all. But it is worth noting that driver training - unless it includes behind-the-wheel emergency maneuver exercises, will not really address the handling problems that plague these vehicles. One of the specific dangers of 15-passenger vans is that they handle much differently in emergency maneuvers than they do during normal driving. Even someone who has experience in driving the vehicles would not necessarily be prepared for their response in avoidance maneuvers. While the literature related to these vehicles, tends to focus on driver inexperience as a significant factor in maintaining safe operation of these vehicles Fatality Accident Reporting System data shows indicates that 75% of the drivers involved in these fatal rollovers were at least 24 years of age. Fifty percent were over the age 34. Given these statistics, it is difficult to support the automakers' claim that driver inexperience is a primary cause of these accidents. Even past experience in driving 15-passenger vans would not adequately prepare drivers for the handling characteristic displayed by these vehicles. A recent accident analysis presented in August 2001 found that in 15-passenger vans, "dangerous vehicle characteristics such as inadequate stability cannot be recognized by the average and prudent driver. They are most likely to be manifested only during emergency or limit maneuvers, and normal driving will not reveal their existence." Likewise, an April 2001 NHTSA report seems to indicate that regular operation of these vehicles would not foretell their response characteristics in emergency maneuvers. According to NHTSA, fully loaded 15-passenger vans' "understeer characteristics are similar to its lightly loaded condition at low lateral accelerations but different at higher lateral accelerations is a topic of concern." The NHTSA report goes on to state that, "this sort of transition is known to cause safety problems, particularly for drivers who normally only drive smaller passenger vehicles and who are therefore unfamiliar with a loaded 15 passenger van's responsiveness and limits." It is curious that NHTSA undercuts the results of their own research by implying that only drivers of "smaller passenger vehicles" would be subject to the concerns about 15-passenger van handling. We have already quoted the results of NHTSA's research on this matter. Those results indicate both that 15-passenger vans suffer from decreased stability when fully loaded and that this instability can result in loss of control during panic maneuver. NHTSA has further indicated that 15-passenger vans perform unpredictably at high speed lateral accelerations relative to similar maneuvers at low speeds, which seems to confirm to that in these vehicles, handling characteristics during emergency maneuvers are very different that what one would experience during regular driving. It follows then, that without specific emergency incident training, even conscientious, safe, drivers with experience operating 15-passenger vans would have no way to anticipate the dangerous handling characteristics and instability exhibited by the vehicles during emergency maneuvers. The "safety problems" that NHTSA spoke of in the April 2001 research report should then apply to all drivers, even those with experience driving 15-passenger vans who have not had emergency maneuver training. Training should also address proper loading of these vehicles. They become progressively more unstable as they are loaded, and these problems are exacerbated when they are loaded heavily in the rear. Under no circumstances should anything ever be carried on top of the van. Any training provided must also include mandatory seat-belt use by vehicle passengers. Of course, in the event of a rollover, the seat belts actually provided on these vehicles are very poor by comparison to the seat belts provided by Chrysler, Ford, and others on the vehicles they sell abroad. As a standard safety feature, new Chrysler, Ford, and GM 15-passenger vans have seat belts at all seating positions. To date, however, three point belts are available only in the front and outboard rear seating positions. The inner seating positions are fitted with lab belts only. In international markets such as the European Union or Australia, these same manufactures offer vans with integrated three point seat-belts at all seating positions as well as pretensioners and web grabbers, all of which help to hold the occupant in the seat in the event of an accident. Moreover seat and seat-belt designs, vans in Europe and Australia have been developed in conjunction with an overall rollover crash standard If, in the unlikely event that you would like more information on the testing of 15-passenger vans that has been done, I invite everyone to our website at: http://www.safetyforum.com/passengervans/ We have a great deal of information in the 15-passenger van issue, including video of van testing showing how readily they fishtail in emergency maneuvers. Many thanks to all for putting up with this lengthy missive. I hope that the information has been helpful. Michael D. Thomas Director of Research www.Safetyforum.com Arlington, VA 22201 703-469-3700

From: Curtiss, Aric <acurtiss@mt.gov>
Date: Tue Mar 26, 2002 4:10pm
Subject: Build an Ergonomics Team

Back by popular demand, Montana State Fund and the Risk Management & Tort Defense Division of the Department of Administration are again partnering to offer the course, "Build An Ergonomics Team". This course was last held in January with rave reviews and requests for a repeat. You've asked and we are delivering with this course again being offered on Tuesday, April 9th. See the printable e-flier attached. On any given day at least one of your co-workers is not comfortable at their workstation. This can often be because their workstation is not ergonomically adjusted for them. This course helps to heighten the ergonomic awareness of you and your employees. Employees with this heightened awareness become your Ergonomics Team. Your Ergonomics Team can recognize the common ergonomic concerns in your work area, and address them before they develop into large expensive issues. The team can also help their fellow employees heighten their own awareness of ergonomic topics. Everyone's heightened awareness will make your workplace happier and healthier, and it may help save your agency thousands of dollars on unneeded ergonomic related claims. Please forward the attached e-flier to your agency personnel and encourage them to heighten their ergonomic awareness and to build an ergonomics team. You can also print and post he flier. Please register as indicated on the flier. NOTE- Currently this course is offered in Helena. If other locations are interested please contact me to explore possibilities. Contact me with any questions, Thank you, Aric Curtiss

Attachment: (application/msword) ErgoTeam2.doc [not stored]

From: Dahl, Brett <bdahl@mt.gov>
Date: Tue Mar 26, 2002 5:19pm
Subject: Insurance

Council Members, At our meeting in December, we explained that 9/11 would have a significant effect on your property/casualty insurance rates for the coming bi-ennium. Most of the world's largest carriers were involved in insuring the World Trade Center and other properties, including aircraft that were demolished in the terrorist attack. Workers' compensation, life insurance, accident death & dismemberment, and many other kinds of claims continue to pour in. Industry experts have predicted that total losses will approach $60 billion, which represents half of the property/casualty insurance industry's entire surplus. Where am I going with this, you all ask? Well................this just in............our broker gave us the 'state of the state' address on insurance and told us to expect the following increases: -Property %100 -Aircraft Liability % 50 -Aircraft Hull % 10 -Boiler & Machinery % 25 -Crime % 50 The increases in the costs of these insurances, if approved, approximate $700,000. We will be working closely with the Director of Administration and the Office of Budget and Program Planning to identify ways to reduce these costs through higher self-insured retentions (i.e. deductibles) or perhaps reductions in coverage. Meanwhile, we promised to keep you informed. --BRETT

From: Curtiss, Aric <acurtiss@mt.gov>
Date: Fri Mar 29, 2002 9:59am
Subject: Defensive Driving in Helena

Congratulations! Due to your great efforts promoting the upcoming Defensive Driving courses, the May 30th course offering for Helena has a full roster and this course is closed! Great job in filling the class so quickly! Other locations are also filling so please register soon.

A typical class roster holds about 24 slots. For Helena appearances we typically expand that to as many as 50. This makes a very large class for one instructor. The original Helena roster is past this point. No new registrations will be accepted for 5./30.

Now, for those who didn't get registered in time, a second offering has been scheduled for Friday, May 31 from 8:00am to Noon at the DPHHS auditorium, 111 Sanders. This course is currently open and filling so please register soon. An updated e-flier is attached.

I have also had requests for this course in the Lewistown area. Please survey your employees in the Lewistown area to determine interest. If the interest is there, RMTD will go there! Please send a note to me at acurtiss@mt.gov with the number of interested employees. If I get good results I will schedule an appearance or find other options.

Remember, registration is accomplished at the Training page of the RMTD web-site: www.discoveringmontana.com/doa/rmtd. Changes to the registration page will be seen within the next few days. These changes will be self explanatory and easy to follow. We believe the results of these changes will be very good and allow us to provide you with rosters and other valuable reports of your agency participation in safety trainings. One thing to note on the new registration process is that we will be able to track individual employees. To do this we will require the Employee Number be entered on the registration. This is the unique Employee Number found on the employee's paycheck, ID card and personnel records.

Once this system is in place contact us if you have any questions.

As always, contact me at any time if there is anything I can do for you,

Thank you,

Aric

Attachment: (application/msword) EFlierDDCSpring02-2.doc [not stored]

From: Dahl, Brett <bdahl@mt.gov>
Date: Mon Apr 15, 2002 4:15pm
Subject: ERTW and Defensive Driving Discount Forms

Gang, Today was the deadline and to date we have only received a dozen of the ERTW and Defensive Driving discount forms. We need these as does the State Fund to determine pricing on your premiums for renewal at 7/1. Please get them in as soon as possible. --BRETT

From: Dahl, Brett <bdahl@mt.gov>
Date: Thu Apr 18, 2002 4:49pm
Subject: FW: State Vehicle Use Policy

Advisory Council Members, Barb Charlton from the Department of Commerce just sent me their packet of vehicle use information, cover letter, forms, etc. and I liked it so much that I decided to forward it on to you. You have Barb's permission to plagiarize. --BRETT > -----Original Message----- > From: Charlton, Barb > Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2002 4:38 PM > To: Kain, Barb > Cc: Barry, Steve; Dahl, Brett > Subject: State Vehicle Use Policy > > Attached are the memos, rules, and form we distributed to our employees > with their pay checks to sign and be informed of the state vehicle use > policy. > > I am sending this to you so you know what Commerce did regarding informing > our employees of this new state policy. Thanks for your help with this > issue. > > Barb Charlton > > <<VEHICLE USE Director Memo 0401002.doc>> <<VEHICLE USE Director Memo > 040302.doc>> <<Vehicle Use Drivers License Points 040302.doc>> <<Vehicle > use policy ARM 101201.doc>> <<vehicle use policy form 041002.doc>>

Attachment: (application/msword) VEHICLE USE Director Memo 0401002.doc [not stored]

Attachment: (application/msword) VEHICLE USE Director Memo 040302.doc [not stored]

Attachment: (application/msword) Vehicle Use Drivers License Points 040302.doc [not stored]

Attachment: (application/msword) Vehicle use policy ARM 101201.doc [not stored]

Attachment: (application/msword) vehicle use policy form 041002.doc [not stored]

From: Dahl, Brett <bdahl@mt.gov>
Date: Mon May 13, 2002 1:56pm
Subject: Hazardous Chemicals

Risk Management Advisory Council Members, The Department of Administration is working closely with the City of Helena, Fire Department in planning and coordinating pre-emergency response, especially fire response. In order to facilitate planning, the Department of Administration is collecting information about hazardous substances/chemicals (i.e. where they are located and how they are stored) within the Capitol complex. We need your assistance! Please conduct an inventory of hazardous chemicals in your agency's buildings in Helena by completing and returning the attached survey to me by May 20th, if possible. Understand that your agency should be tracking this information in accordance with Montana HAZMAT laws ANYWAY, so if you don't already have that information, the inventory and survey process will help you to achieve partial compliance. THANK YOU in advance for your assistance! --Brett Dahl, Administrator, Risk Management & Tort Defense Division <<hazardouschemicalsurvey.doc>>

Attachment: (application/msword) hazardouschemicalsurvey.doc [not stored]

From: Dahl, Brett <bdahl@mt.gov>
Date: Mon May 13, 2002 2:26pm
Subject: Hazardous Chemicals at State Owned or Leased Facilities in Helena

Gang, A number of you have responded to my e-mail about hazardous chemicals at state-owned or leased facilities by asking questions such as 'What is a Hazardous Substance and where can I obtain the MSDS sheets?' <<hazardouschemicals.htm>> I have included an attachment above which should provide some assistance. In addition, there is some excellent information about the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) HAZMAT requirement out on our website under the section entitled 'Safety and Loss Control,' 'Online Safety Resource Library,' 'H,' 'Hazardous Commications.' or contact the Department of Labor & Industry, Safety Bureau. In addition, go to the section entitled 'Safety and Loss Control,' 'Online Safety Resource Library,' 'C,' 'Chemical,' 'Material Safety Data Sheets,' 'Material Safety Data Sheets and Where to Find Them on The Internet.' to look up information about various chemicals online. --BRETT <<hazardouschemicals.htm>>

Attachment: (application/octet-stream) hazardouschemicals.htm [not stored]

From: Dahl, Brett <bdahl@mt.gov>
Date: Thu May 16, 2002 9:38am
Subject: FW: Hazardous Chemicals at State Owned or Leased Facilities in He lena

Gang, The lists of hazardous chemicals by facility per my e-mail messages earlier this week are starting to come in, however, we have received only two or three so far. By way of a reminder, I'm hoping to have them by Monday so that we can summarize and piece this together for the administration. I realize that it has only been a few days since we asked, however, I wanted to keep this issue before each of you so that there isn't a rush come Monday or Tuesday. I'll assume that you have no hazardous chemicals unless I receive your list by Monday or unless you notify my otherwise. THANK YOU again for your assistance! --BRETT

From: Curtiss, Aric <acurtiss@mt.gov>
Date: Tue May 21, 2002 2:29pm
Subject: FW: RMTD Training Cancellation Policy

RMAC Representatives,

Nearly a month ago RMTD rolled out our new Training Calendar and Registration system and results are great! If you have not looked at this enhancement you can see it at the Training page of the RMTD website at www.discoveringmontana.com/doa/rmtd. Surf over and take a look at it!

This new system replaces the static form of a training calendar we had in the past. Now every course we have scheduled for any time in the future is posted along with the status of that course. If a course roster is filled you will know before you attempt to register for that course. Also, by clicking on the course title you can get a description of the course.

By choosing a date and clicking on it you will be taken directly to the new registration page. The registration page lists the course title, times, and location at the very top. Some new information is asked for on the registration to enhance our programs. One new field requiring an entry is "Employee ID Number". This is the record keeping number the employer assigned the employee. We are collecting this unique number to specifically identify participants in all courses. While there are probably more than a few John Doe's in the state, each has a unique ID Number.

Another new field is "Driver's License Number". This is only required for Defensive Driving Courses. In the past RMTD staff had to gather this number and had enter it for each participant before certificate of trainings could be issued. (The National Safety Council requires this to appear on each Defensive Driving certificate.) Now this information is already available making the process much quicker.

Once you click on the "submit" button of the registration form you are taken to a Training Registration Confirmation page which confirms exactly who, what, when and where. This confirmation page has a convenient "Print Confirmation" button available and it is suggested this page is printed for each registrant. This confirmation also gives simple to follow instructions in the unfortunate event one must cancel a registration.

Since many of our course rosters fill quickly we ask those who must cancel to do so at least 48-hours prior to the scheduled course time. Even sooner is better. This time allows their names be removed from the roster and the seat opened for other interested employees. Our system will automatically reopen closed courses when cancellations are received and seats are freed up. Since this is automatic you are encouraged to check the Training Calendar frequently as courses do re-open.

Because of the demand for space on the roster RMTD is instituting a cancellation fee for those who do not cancel within the 48-hours. Please see the attached memo explaining this fee. Please communicate this information to all concerned parties.

The new registration process and system will have many more features which we believe you will appreciate such as reports listing all of your employees who have attended any training opportunity offered by RMTD. We have entered past rosters going back over four years.

Much more of this system will be explained and demonstrated at the next RMAC meeting. Reports produced from the system will also be distributed then. You will want to be sure to attend and learn how this system is designed to assist you. The date of the next RMAC meeting will be released soon, stay tuned!

As always, if you have any issues I may assist you with, please feel free to contact me at acurtiss@mt.gov or at 444-3486, or contact any RMTD staff member at our general number of 444-2421.

Sincerely,

Aric

Attachment: (application/msword) Cancelation Policy.doc [not stored]

From: Dahl, Brett <bdahl@mt.gov>
Date: Tue May 21, 2002 5:14pm
Subject: Hazardous Materials

Gang, To date, we have received only a handful of the hazardous materials surveys that we requested almost 10 days ago though we understand that it may take some time to pull this information together. We are quite certain that agencies such as Transportation, Agriculture, and others have hazardous chemicals on-site in laboratories or for materials testing. We hope that this is our last and final call for information. The information that we have received thus far is to some extent is disjointed and does not provide a summary of hazardous substances and chemicals by facility within Helena City limits. In some cases, we have received information that doesn' really tell us anything. In brief, I would ask that those of you that have already sent information to us to re-review the information from your facilities and operations to make sure that it is accurate and broken down by facility, and submitted in totality and not piece by piece. For those agencies that have not yet submitted information, please ask your bureaus, facilities, and locations to send it to you first. We do NOT need your agency's HAZMAT plan. We do not want master lists of these substances by bureau or division. Instead, we need a list of the substances by facility with City of Helena limits. In brief, the information that we seek is an important part of the Department of Administration's plan to coordinate local emergency response efforts with the City of Helena Fire Department. When the City of Helena responds to a fire, they want to know what chemicals are stored in each facility so that they can respond appropriately, timely, and with the right equipment and personnel. If you do not have hazardous chemicals, please confirm that as well. We would like to have this information by next Monday, May 27th, if possible. If you are unable to meet that deadline, let us know when you think that you will be able to pull the information together. This may be a 'bit of an inconvenience,' however, keep in mind that your agency should already be doing this and the exercise should help you with your compliance efforts. THANK YOU for your assistance! Call me at ext. 3687 with questions. --Brett Dahl, Administrator, Risk Management & Tort Defense Division

From: Curtiss, Aric <acurtiss@mt.gov>
Date: Thu May 23, 2002 4:57pm
Subject: more training opportunities

RMAC,

Here is a note received from Tina Smollack with the Department of Labor & Industry's Safety Bureau. The Safety Bureau, through their Occupational Safety and Health Training Institute offers a variety of great training (and most of it is free!). Listed are a couple of their courses coming up in Helena. These are on PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and respiratory equipment, and the second is on Hazard Communication which relates to the request Brett made for information about your on-site hazardous materials. Both should be great courses. Other courses and other topics are coming up all around the state.

These courses are from The Safety Bureau and not from Risk Management & Tort Defense so you will not find them on the RMTD website and you will not register for them through RMTD. Contact Sharon or Jolene directly at 444-6401 to register or for more information.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend,

Aric

##############################

Hi Folks,

Although SMASH has disbanded for the summer months, I think you might like to know about a few free classes in Helena.

On Thursday, June 13, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. classes will be presented on PPE/Respiratory Protection, at Helena, in the "Right of Way Conference Room," at the DOT.

On Friday, June 14, from 8:00 a.m. to noon will be presented a Hazard Communications class. This will also take place at the DOT in Helena, but in the Auditorium.

To register, please contact Sharon Meyer or Jolene Loomis at 444-6401. Walk ins will be welcomed, but we prefer to have you preregister to ensure we have enough handouts for all attendees.

Class description:

PPE/Respiratory Protection

This course acquaints the student with various methods of Personal Protective Equipment available and their use. Also, this course covers the requirements for the establishment, maintenance, and monitoring a respirator program. Topics include terminology, OSHA and ANSI standards, NIOSH certifications, and medical evaluation recommendation. Respirator selection, use, and methods of fit testing will be addressed.

Hazard Communication

Hazard communication related standards are consistently among the most often cited violations by Federal OSHA and Montana Department of Labor and Industry. This course addresses the requirements of the Hazard Communication requirements as found in Subparts Z 29 CFR 1910 General Industry and 29 CFR 1926 Construction. The course will cover definitions and requirements relating program implementation and maintenance labeling, material safety data sheets, training, and outside contractors.

Hope to see you all there!

Tina Smollack

From: Dahl, Brett <bdahl@mt.gov>
Date: Mon Jun 3, 2002 3:18pm
Subject: Various

Risk Management Advisory Council Representatives, 1) THANK YOU very much for your assistance and support of the Hazardous Materials Inventory (Helena properties). Nice job! We have been asked to coordinate this response with the City of Helena each year from this point so we'll likely by repeating this exercise about the same time next year. The end result of this survey is a master binder with an inventory of hazardous materials, by agency, by location. Don't ask us to re-produce it in its entirety, however, as it is some 300 pages in length. I assume that each of you kept the portion pertaining to your agency. If you don't have it and want it, then let me know and we'll have someone re-produce the pertinent sections. 2) By now, each of you should have received your most recent copy of 'Risk Matters,' our quarterly publication. It as also available on our website in electronic format in the section entitled 'Publications,' 'Riskmatters Newsletter,' 'May 2002.' We hope that you enjoy the updates and that it is helpful. 3) The Department of Administration has submitted a conceptual proposal for dividend legislation to the Office of Budget and Program Planning (OBPP). The proposal creates a separate statutory appropriation for dividends and allows state agencies to actually spend all, or a portion, of the dividends that they receive. OBPP has not yet approved the proposal and we are providing additional information at their request for purposes of clarification. However, we concur that it would be a very positive step for your respective programs. There are lots of other considerations given the state's current fiscal crisis. 4) We have submitted the attached boilerplate for HB2 which removes the restriction on the use Workers' Compensation Volume Discount proceeds currently found in HB2, Section 7. As you may recall, last session the Department of Administration was successful in exempting the use of early-return-to-work funds from the restrictions so that you have those funds to spend for safety or modified positions. During the coming bi-ennium, we are hoping to add the volume discounts to this list of exemptions. OBPP has already approved including such language in HB2 at the 'start of the race,' but I am told that it faces an uphill battle in the legislative session. We'll give it our best and let you know how you can assist. <<HB2, Section 7.doc>> 5) We appreciate your support of recent Defense Defensive Driving training. As a sidebar, the number of vehicles that we insure for liability has increased from 7,044 since FY96 to 9,722 in FY2002, however, the frequency of claims per 100 vehicles has declined from 4.2 to 3.2, or approximately 25%. Over the same period of time, loss payments have remained relatively constant and that is real plus given the state's current legal environment, the increase in miles driven by state employees, and the number of vehicles insured. We'll have more to report to you at our next Risk Management Advisory Council meeting. The date has not yet been set, but we're shooting for mid-month to the end of June. Have a great summer! Brett E. Dahl, Administrator, Risk Management & Tort Defense Division Department of Administration

Attachment: (application/msword) HB2, Section 7.doc [not stored]

From: Dahl, Brett <bdahl@mt.gov>
Date: Mon Jun 3, 2002 4:06pm
Subject: Self-Assessment Report

Advisory Council Members, Last year, the Department of Administration (with technical assistance from the Montana State Fund, Department of Labor & Industry, Safety Bureau, and support of the Governor's Office) created the State of Montana, Employee Safety Awards Program and a related reporting tool known as the 'Safety Program Self-Assessment Report.' The purpose of the self-assessment report tool is to 1) assist state agencies and universities in monitoring and evaluating their progress in implementing the provisions of the Montana Safety Culture Act; 2) help the Department of Administration in collecting meaningful information to report agencies' progress in achieving compliance to agency heads and the Governor's Office in the division's annual report; and 3) recognize agencies with comprehensive and effective programs through the Governor's Employee Safety Awards Program. State agencies and universities were given the OPTION of submitting the safety program self-assessment report last year because we wanted to give everyone additional time to implement programs as well