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Jackson County had nine employees that received safety awards during the County Commissioners Annual Safety Conference. The awards were sponsored by the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma (ACCO). State Labor Commissioner Mark Costello addressed the conference and helped present the awards. Commissioner Costello commented, “The safety program implemented by the Association of County Commissioners has proven to be a very successful program. The Oklahoma Department of Labor is committed to working with ACCO to prevent accidents and promote workplace safety.”

It is the goal of every county to provide a safe and healthy work environment for their employees. Recognizing employees that meet their goal of zero injuries helps raise the awareness, of the importance of the local safety programs. This awareness has resulted in fewer accidents and helped reduce insurance premiums in many counties. An average of over 500 county employees receive awards each year across Oklahoma, recognizing their accomplishment of going another five or ten continuous years of employment without an injury. It is the goal of the Association to provide assistance to counties to further reduce accidents and injuries and to provide a safe workplace for each employee. The awards are broken down into two categories. Category one is pertinent to office personnel and Category two includes road crews.

The following individuals received awards for 2012: Category 1: Robin Booker ten-year award, Angela Dugan ten-year award,and Category 2: Spencer Edwards five-year award, Chris Linares five-year award, Dale Putkamer five-year award, Justin Stobaugh five-year award, and Sostenes Villarreal five-year award.

Two individuals received 25-year awards. These two have worked for the county for over 25 years and have never had an accident, an amazing accomplishment. They are Danny Freeman and Gerald Sherrill.

“The taxpayers of Jackson County should be proud of their county employees for receiving this award, because the county’s injury costs have been reduced. Of course, that in turn saves taxpayers of Jackson County dollars, “said ACCO Executive Director Gayle Ward.