Excellence in Risk Management Award - Angela Sylvester

  • 9/1/2020 4:30 pm

Each year during the Risk & Insurance Symposium, Public Entity Partners presents the Excellence in Risk Management Awards in an effort to recognize members and employees who exemplify excellence, innovation, creativity, and commitment to providing quality safety and risk management programs within their entities. This award recognizes entities of all sizes that use available resources to creatively implement safety programs. Examples of risk management are found in all operations, from utilizing technology or jump starting a safety committee to creating/updating proper documentation and repair orders. 

 

Although the 2020 Risk & Insurance Symposium was cancelled due to COVID-19 safety concerns, the hard work our members do to promote safety and risk management cannot be overlooked. One award member will be recognized each month through November.  

 

2020 Excellence in Risk Management Award Winner

Angela Sylvester, Human Resources Manager

City of Clinton 

 

When the city of Clinton hired their first human resources manager in 2018, they selected Angela Sylvester. She possessed credentials and experience to build a professional human resources program and a strong risk management and safety plan. Angela came to the city with 26 years of experience in human resources, along with consulting and technology experience. She also is a recognized Certified Professional from the Society of Human Resource Management (SRHM-CP) and a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR). 

In two years, Angela has already identified and established an excellent risk management program. Initial tasks included updating the job descriptions to clearly define physical demands and include safety protocols, as well as establishing an effective training/safety incentive program. 

Prior to Angela’s arrival, a bonus was paid to an employee who was accident-free for the year. Angela recognized the potential ADA violation in this approach, but didn’t want employees to lose their bonuses, so she developed a safety incentive program that provides a cash bonus if an employee successfully completes safety and professional training. Employee participation was 100% in the very first year of this new program. 

Angela has also established a safety committee that has identified and addressed issues and concerns. In some cases, safety rules have been loosened when they were not tied to job tasks. For example, hard hats are no longer required to be worn all day by public works employees, which had been previously mandated to provide a professional look and make sure employees used proper protection. To maintain the professional look for workers, alternative hats were made available to employees that provided sun protection when hard hats were not necessary. In addition to safety training improvements, the committee also identified a need for a handgun clearing system in the police department to allow officers to safely de-arm and store weapons while in the office.  

Angela has improved access to Employee Assistance Program benefits and coordinated a telemetric counseling session for all employees who meet the legal requirements of PTSD counseling services. She has also implemented several city-wide training programs, including active shooter, productive work environment, work zone safety and risk management for supervisors. She has increased employee safety awareness through the distribution of updated safety information and reminders through the city’s portal system. 

One of the clearest indicators of Angela’s professional approach occurred during the COVID-19 shutdown of many organizations at the end of March. COVID protocols and policies were issued by April 7, 2020. These included identification of essential employees, guidelines for telework, an arrangement with a local medical provider for rapid testing for essential employees, leave policies, and protective measures to protect for employees and the public.    

Angela Sylvester has already accomplished much for the city of Clinton and will continue to do so. We believe she is the epitome of Excellence in Risk Management.