For immediate release: March 16, 2012

BWC Recognizes Safety Council of the Year

Columbus - Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) Administrator/CEO Steve Buehrer today announced the annual safety council of the year award winners. The winners are among Ohio's 81 safety councils, which work to increase safety awareness in the workplace and educate businesses on occupational safety and health issues. The Ashtabula Safety Council received the top recognition for its commitment to stimulating interest in safety and encouraging the development of more effective accident/incident prevention programs among its members.

"The Ashtabula County Safety Council is very active and energetic in promoting safety oriented events and solutions that help employers manage workers' comp costs by making safety and risk management a top priority," said Buehrer. "We appreciate their outstanding work to help employers learn how effective workplace safety and health programs can increase the overall productivity of their business."

The Ashtabula Safety Council hosted its first safety conference and expo in 2011 emphasizing safe workplaces and helping northeast Ohio employers increase safety in their workplaces. The council had more than 2,700 individual members attend events last year, a 25-percent increase over the previous year.

Also recognized were eight other councils that promoted safety in their communities and made concerted efforts to educate members about the latest technology and practices to keep Ohio workers safe.

• Cleveland Southwest Safety Council (2nd place)
• Medina Safety Council (3rd place)
• Huron County Safety Council (4th place)
• Greater Columbus Safety Council (honorable mention)
• Licking County Safety Council (honorable mention)
• Sandusky County Safety Council (honorable mention)
• Stark County Safety Council (honorable mention)
• Union County Safety Council (honorable mention)

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