Safety Incentive Program
City of Hendersonville
It is the City of Hendersonville’s responsibility to do everything in its power to provide a safe work
environment for its employees and continually strive to reduce work-related injuries and accidents through
training, workshops, education, funding, etc.
The goal of the City of Hendersonville’s Safety Incentive Program is to provide the employees with another
quality incentive to remain safe on the job and to make safety-conscious decisions while in the field that will
keep the employee, his/her co-workers, and the general public safer.
PURPOSE
Our purpose is to create a work environment where the safety or our employees is at the forefront of every
decision we make. We strive to reduce and minimize the Workers’ Comp claims and ultimately save the City
money that can be spent elsewhere. We hope that this program will also allow our Workers’ Comp provider to
see that we are doing everything we can to promote safety within our City and will hopefully result in reduced
Workers’ Comp premiums and potential grant opportunities through our provider.
This program shall not discourage any employee from submitting a Workers’ Comp claim if necessary. Any
findings of such may result in disciplinary action for anyone involved. The City of Hendersonville always
encourages employees to submit Workers’ Comp claims if an injury/illness occurs on-the-job.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Paul Harbsmeier - Police
Greg Story - Codes
Mike Holt - Fire
Trace Buerkett - Roads
Jeremy Grenat - Parks
Chris Taylor (Chairman) – HR
Launch Date: July 1, 2016 (fiscal year program).
The Safety Incentive Award Program is only for Full-Time employees.
The Committee shall review the Safety Incentive Program annually or as often as necessary.
PROPOSAL
Our Committee will review each Workers’ Comp claim on a case-by-case basis. The Committee will meet
quarterly or as often as necessary and ask the employee who filed the claim to appear in front of the Committee
and tell their side of the story. The Committee may ask any employee who may have witnessed the injury in
question, or possesses relative information, to attend if needed to find out any necessary details or answer
questions. The Committee will ask relevant questions and review each case in detail to determine if the injury
claim was ‘Preventable’ or ‘Non-Preventable’. The Committee will only review the specific cause and
circumstances of the injury/accident in question. The Committee will not review any confidential medical
information of the employee according to HIPPA laws. This process will work very similar to that of the
Vehicle Accident Review Board in many aspects.
It is the responsibility of the Committee to review the facts surrounding the claim to determine if the claim was
‘Preventable’ or ‘Non-Preventable’, to ensure fair and impartial determinations are made and to recommend
corrective action that we feel may benefit the employee, his/her co-workers, and the City of Hendersonville.
If an employee does not have a ‘Preventable’ injury during each quarter, each Full-Time employee shall accrue
the following paid leave:
• 8 hour/day employees: 2 hours/quarter
• 8.5 hour/day employees (i.e. Police Officers): 2.125 hours/quarter
• 12 hour/day employees (i.e. Firefighters): 3 hours/quarter
Therefore, if an employee does not have a ‘Preventable’ injury throughout the course of the entire fiscal year,
each Full-Time employee shall earn a paid day off called a ‘Safety Day’.
CLASS OF EMPLOYEES
Employees shall be classified in two different classes based on their current job classification.
Class 1 employees: Considered ‘field’ employees. These employees have the highest potential for
injury/illness due to their position and day-to-day activities. Class 1 employees accrue safety leave at
the following rate:
• 8 hour/day employees: 2 hours/quarter
• 8.5 hour/day employees (i.e. Police Officers): 2.125 hours/quarter
• 12 hour/day employees (i.e. Firefighters): 3 hours/quarter
Class 2 employees: Considered ‘office’ employees. These employees have considerably less potential
for injury/illness on a day-to-day basis. Class 2 employees accrue safety leave at the following rate:
• 8 hour/day employees: 1 hour/quarter
• They will earn a full Safety Day leave after 2 years of no ‘Preventable’ injuries.
See the attached Appendix 1 document which determines which job classifications fall in Class 1 or Class 2.
ACCRUAL DATES
Safety Day accrual dates are as follows:
• Last day of March
• Last day of June
• Last day of September
• Last day of December
The Committee shall send out Safety Day accruals each quarter to Department Heads and/or any other
necessary personnel which handles payroll within each department. Department Heads and/or their designee
are responsible for distributing Safety Day accrual spreadsheets to all eligible employees.
WHEN DO YOU BECOME ELIGIBLE
New employees are eligible to participate and enrolled in this program on the soonest July 1st after their Full-
Time hire date. For example, if an employee begins Full Time employment on March 3, 2017, that employee
will be eligible to participate in the program on July 1, 2017 to begin their accrual.
51% RULE
If an eligible employee changes positions from a Class 1 employee to a Class 2 employee or visa versa, we will
implement the 51% Rule. If the eligible employee worked 51% or more (or the majority) of that fiscal year in a
certain Class (1 or 2), that employee would be eligible for the accrual rate from their original position.
If the Committee reviews a Workers’ Comp claim and deems it ‘Preventable’, the employee shall lose their
incentive leave accrual for that quarter. The employee is still eligible for the remaining leave accrual.
throughout the rest of the fiscal year. If the Committee reviews a Workers’ Comp claim and deems it ‘Non-
Preventable’, the employee will not lose their incentive leave for that quarter.
Any employee has the ability to ‘waive’ their right to appear in front of the Committee. However, if the
employee waives their right to appear, the injury claim will automatically be deemed as ‘Preventable’. Similar
to the Vehicle Accident Review Board process, an employee can only ‘waive’ their right to appear in front of
the Committee one time.
WHEN YOU CAN TAKE YOUR ACCRUED TIME
Accruals will be calculated by the Committee after each quarter and communicated to Department Heads.
Department Heads and/or their designee shall be responsible for communicating Safety Day accruals to each
eligible employee in their department. Safety Day accruals must be taken in full day increments once they
are accrued. Safety Day accrual may not exceed more than the specified accrual amounts in a fiscal year (see
section CLASS OF EMPLOYEES). For example, an 8-hr Class 1 employee may not accrue more than 8 hours
of a Safety Day at any given time. Employees must take their Safety Day leave by the end of the same
calendar year (December 31st) that they accrue their full day and must have Supervisor and Department
Head approval. For example, if an 8-hr Class 1 employee earns the entire 8 hours throughout the course of the
fiscal year (ending June 30) by not having a ‘Preventable’ injury, that employee must take all 8 accrued hours
by the end of the calendar year (December 31st).
Class 2 employees must take any accrual they have earned in same manner as specified above. Class 2
employees earn ‘Safety Day’ leave at ½ the rate of Class 1 employees. Class 2 employees shall accrue a full
Safety Day over a 2-year time frame. Class 2 employees shall not earn more than 8 hours over a two-year span.
Safety Day accrual DOES NOT count toward the employee’s Overtime threshold.
TAKING LEAVE WITHOUT PAY
If an employee takes Leave Without Pay for ten (10) consecutive workdays or more during a quarter, that
employee shall not be eligible to accrue ‘Safety Day’ leave for that quarter. This does NOT affect employees
who are out due to Military Leave. Those employees continue to earn their Safety Day accrual as usual.
IF EMPLOYEE DOES NOT TAKE SAFETY DAY ACCRUAL
Failure to take accrued Safety Day leave by the specified time-frame will result in the employee losing that
accrual. Employees WILL NOT be allowed to carry-over earned Safety Day leave nor be compensated for any
accrual not taken by the specified time-frame.
IF EMPLOYEE LEAVES FROM EMPLOYMENT
If an employee terminates their employment with the City, the employee shall be paid for the current Safety
Day accrual that they have at the time of separation. If an employee is terminated by the City, the employee
shall not be paid for any Safety Day accrual remaining.
MANAGEMENT OF THIS PROGRAM
The Safety Incentive Program and Safety Day accruals shall be managed by the HR Director with the help of
the Safety Incentive Program committee.
Appendix 1
Safety Incentive Program
List of Job Classifications
Class 1 employees will earn the following Safety Day leave at an accrual rate of:
• 8 hour/day employees: 2 hours/quarter
• 8.5 hour/day employees (i.e. Police Officers): 2.125 hours/quarter
• 12 hour/day employees (i.e. Firefighters): 3 hours/quarter
The following list of Job Classifications will fall under ‘Class 1 employees’:
Codes Parks
Chief Building and Codes Inspector Parks Maintenance Supervisor
Building and Codes Inspector I, II, and III Assistant Maintenance Supervisor
Parks Crew Supervisor
Fire Parks Mechanic
Fire Marshall Senior Property Maintenance Worker
Fire Inspector Athletic Groundskeeper
Division Chief Parks Maintenance Worker I and II
Battalion Chief Recreation Coordinator
Fire Captain
Senior Firefighter Public Works
Firefighter Public Works Superintendent
PW Project Coordinator
Police Road Superintendent
Police Lieutenant Stormwater/Construction Inspector
Police Sergeant Stormwater Program Coordinator
Criminal Investigator Stormwater Program Inspector
Police Corporal Construction Engineering Inspector
Master Patrol Officer Public Works Crew Supervisor
Police Officer Heavy Equipment Mechanic
Property Maintenance Technician Equipment Operator I, II, and III
Animal Control Officer Senior Property Maintenance Worker
Property Maintenance Inspector Property Maintenance Worker
Road Maintenance Worker I and II
Limb Crew Supervisor
ADA Coordinator
Class 2 employees will earn the following Safety Day leave at an accrual rate of:
8 hour/day employees: 1 hour/quarter → earn a full 8 hours every 2 years
8.5 hour/day employees: 1.0625 hrs/quarter → earn a full 8.5 hrs every 2 years
The following list of job classifications will fall under ‘Class 2 employees’:
Codes Police
Building and Codes Director Police Chief
Administrative Assistant Assistant Police Chief
Accounting Technician Police Commander
Permit Technician I and II Law Enforcement IT Manager
Plans Examiner Computer Systems Specialist
Public Safety Administrative Coordinator
Executive Administrative Secretary
City Recorder Police Purchasing Technician
Mayoral Assistant/ECD Records Clerk
Administrative Secretary Records Supervisor
Administrative Assistant TAC/Evidence Technician
Fire Parks
Fire Chief Parks and Recreation Director
Deputy Fire Chief Asst Parks and Recreation Director
Administrative Chief Special Events Program Supervisor
Training Officer Administrative Assistant
Public Safety Administrative Coordinator Administrative Secretary
Administrative Secretary
Planning
Finance Planning Director
Finance Director Asst Planning Director
Asst Finance Director Planner/Landscape Architect
Clerk of Court Planner
Administrative Assistant Planning Assistant
Deputy Court Clerk Senior Planner
Accounting Technicians Administrative Secretary
(Sr.) Accountant Zoning Enforcement Officer
Personnel Public Works
HR Director Public Works Director
Asst HR Director City Engineer
Sr. HR Coordinator Assistant City Engineer
HR/Payroll Coordinator Design Engineer
Accounting Technician Administrative Assistant
IT Director
Senior Network Administrator
Senior IT Administrator
GIS Technician
Business Analyst