While you may know that VRSA distributes nearly $400,000 in grant funds each year to assist members in strengthening their risk management programs, you may not know that some of these grants are earmarked to fund continuing professional education and …
Read More › “Town of Vinton’s Donna Collins receives grant for continuing education”
The City of Lexington is no stranger to utilizing the VRSA Risk Management Grant program. Each year, VRSA distributes more than $400,000 in grant funds to assist members in preventing or reducing losses. Over the years, the city has used …
Read More › “The City of Lexington utilizes Safety Committee to prioritize grant requests”
Many times, organizations make plans that are progressive, forward-thinking, and well-intended. Often, plans are changed or cancelled due to a varying number of issues and circumstances. Often, putting ideas into action can take months or even years of planning. That …
Read More › “VML 2020 Local Champion Award in Risk Management presented to Town of Vinton”
This summer, the City of Poquoson – located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area and one of the oldest continuously named cities in Virginia, applied for VRSA Risk Management Grant funding for the purchase of automatic …
Read More › “City of Poquoson utilizes VRSA grants to further strategic objectives”
Puxsutawney Phil has predicted an early spring for 2020 and if his prediction is correct, more activities will be taking place outside earlier this year. In the 1993 film Groundhog Day, weatherman Phil Conners – sent to cover Punxsutawney Phil’s Groundhog …
Read More › “Getting your risk management program out of a rut”
In 2018, VRSA Senior Safety Consultant Fonda Craig visited with Captain Joey McLaughlin with the New Kent County Sheriff’s Office to see the installation of Hornet electronic deer avoidance systems. The devices were purchased with $3,700 in VRSA Risk Management …
Read More › “New Kent County deer strike prevention pilot – A follow up!”
2019 Year in Review The most notable change in 2019 was our new name! On July 1, 2019, VML Insurance Programs became the Virginia Risk Sharing Association. The new name better represents the diverse membership of the pool, and clarifies …
Local governments face many of the same loss exposures as their local businesses and citizens. However, while measures that may be available for commercial businesses, organizations and residents include a wide array of risk management techniques, for local governments those …
Guest blogger Jerry the Skeleton is in the office today recapping VRSA’s 2019 Halloween costume and pumpkin carving winners. It was a ghoulish good time at the Virginia Risk Sharing Association (VRSA) today, and while there was not a ghost or …
The United States Department of Education, in A Guide to School Vulnerability Assessments, identifies eight categories of hazards and risks that could impact schools. “It’s important to consider all hazards and threats that could affect your school system when conducting …
Read More › “Addressing physical and operational hazards in schools”
In recognition of Safe Schools Week, VRSA Senior Safety Consultant Fonda Craig toured Mountain View Elementary in Prince William County along with Safety Specialist Jim Honeycutt and Brian Antolick to search for hazards that could lead to injuries and common …
Fire Prevention Week, recognized this year from Oct. 6 – 12, has been in existence for more than 90 years. VRSA is excited to promote this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice …
September 23 – 29, 2019, is recognized as Fall Prevention Week. Almost one in every five work-related injuries results from a slip, trip or fall. In 2016, the National Safety Council reports that 697 workers died in falls to a …
America’s Safe Schools Week has been recognized on the third week of October each year since 1984. Virginia’s public school divisions enroll nearly 1.3 million students. Collectively, VRSA members include school divisions averaging 14,000 students. As such, school safety is a …
Read More › “Save the dates! Safe Schools Week: October 21 – 27”
By Peter Stephenson, VRSA Local Government Specialist On June 27, 2019, the Town of Woodstock in Shenandoah County became the smallest locality in the Commonwealth of Virginia to earn full accreditation from the American Public Works Association (APWA). This distinction …
Local governments, authorities and schools are challenged daily to develop effective safety programs that reduce workers’ compensation losses, resulting in both direct and indirect losses to both employee and employer. The effectiveness of a safety program is increased by use …
Read More › “National Safety Month and the importance of safety committees”