Town of Smithtown representatives Paul Rubano (Risk Manager) and Kathy Borowski (Health & Safety Manager) accepted the G. Jeffery Haber Leadership Award, presented by the New York State Workers’ Compensation Alliance (Comp Alliance) during the Annual Meeting & Training expo yesterday. Smithtown was chosen for the leadership award in recognition of progress made in improving the workers compensation program.
Supervisor Ed Wehrheim applauded the team effort between various departments (Public Safety, Comptroller Dept. & Personnel) and the CSEA Union for implementing policy, planning and investigation procedures to maintain a safer work environment for employees.
“This is an exceptional award to be considered for, let alone selected to receive. I would like to personally thank those who have worked diligently to make this achievement possible, the Department of Public Safety, our claims investigation, training and safety teams, and the CSEA union who accepted and implemented the training that would lead to this distinguished award. They deserve the credit here.” – Supervisor Ed Wehrheim
The Town of Smithtown was selected for outstanding efforts in minimizing time lost due to workplace injury, in addition to a consistent commitment to safety. In 2017, the Town was able to reduce the number of “lost time” injuries by approximately 50%. This reduction resulted in $150,000 of reduced premium costs, a significant savings for Smithtown residents.
Smithtown Comptroller Donald Musgnug gave recognition to his team, in addition to the town Supervisor and board, for providing the resources and support to carry out the initiative, which resulted in a significant reduction in premiums saving taxpayers $150,000.
“I’d like to thank the comp alliance not only for this recognition and award, but for their guidance and direction. I would also like to recognize our risk manager Paul Rubano and our health and safety manager Kathryn Borowski, who spearheaded and implemented our program in conjunction with our CSEA union members in order to provide the safety equipment and, most importantly, the training to keep our employees safe.” – Donald Musgnug, Smithtown Comptroller
The Award is given to one municipality out of more than 280 members of the Comp Alliance, in recognition of commitment to safety, time and resources devoted to providing a safe workplace for employees. The award was presented during the breakfast meeting at the Association of Towns’ Annual Meeting and Training School in New York City, featuring guest speakers Senate minority Leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer and NYS Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on February 20th, 2018. The Senator also highlighted Smithtown’s extraordinary work in pioneering the State’s Shared Services initiatives.
About the Association of Towns of the State of New York
Established in 1933, the Association of Towns of the State of New York works to help municipalities to obtain greater economy and efficiency. The Association provides training programs, research and information services, technical assistance, legal services, insurance programs and a variety of publications to its membership. Additionally, the organization provides advocacy in Albany through monitoring legislation and regulatory action, lobbying and presenting initiatives solely on behalf of towns. Membership of the Association is made up solely of towns.