The number of injuries among municipal employees jumped during the second quarter of this year compared to 2019, although property damage and motor vehicle incidents did decrease, a council report shows.
City administration provided an update during the recent city council meeting of all second-quarter activities for each department at city hall. One report from the city manager’s office looked at the number of safety incidents that occurred between April and June.
There were 20 injuries during the second quarter of 2020, compared to 14 during the same period last year, the report said. These 20 injuries included seven slips and falls, 10 overexertions, two employees struck by or against something, and one burn.
So far this year, there have been 35 injuries, compared to 34 at this time last year.
Five employees required medical aid from April to June, compared to four who required similar services last year. Those five injuries included one slip and fall and four overexertions that affected an elbow, back, neck and ankle.
So far this year, there have been 12 medical aid incidents compared to eight during the same time in 2019.
There were three incidents of lost time during this year’s second quarter, compared to one at the same time in 2019. The three injuries were due to slips and falls.
So far this year, there have been six incidents of lost time compared to three during the same time last year.
All of these injuries resulted in 50.5 lost days during the second quarter, compared to nine lost days during the same period in 2019, the report said. So far this year, there have been 103 days lost due to injuries compared to 19 lost days in 2019.
There were some significant decreases in motor vehicle incidents and property damage, city manager Jim Puffalt told council.
During the second quarter, there were 16 motor vehicle incidents, compared to 18 at the same time last year. Those 16 incidents included 10 for inattention, one for environmental, two for backing up, and three where citizens were at fault.
Overall, there have been 20 motor vehicle incidents this year, compared to 29 during the same time last year.
There were four incidents of property damage in the second quarter of 2020, compared to nine incidents during the same time last year. Overall, there have been six such incidents this year compared to 23 during the same time last year.
“They were fully preventable accidents if people followed guidelines,” Puffalt added. “So, we made some good progress on (those two areas).”
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Aug. 24.
