The Risk Control Unit works with agency executives, key managers, Safety Advisors and Risk Coordinators to help them establish effective safety and risk management systems within their agencies. These systems are designed to enable agencies to:

• Identify real and potential risks
• Analyze those risks
• Mitigate risk exposures (through the development of loss control programs) 

Risk Control Consultant's primarily focus on exposures covered by the self-insurance fund. This minimizes public funds diverted to pay for loss. By addressing risks associated with employee injury, tort liability and property assets, the Risk Control Unit assists agencies in maximizing funds for operations and services. 
 

• Employee Injury Risk
  Services are delivered to Oregonians through the knowledgeable, skilled employees who comprise state government’s workforce. Injury to employees is an operational risk with associated significant financial impacts. An employee injury disrupts operations and services, creates workers’ compensation costs, and results in soft, non-insured costs that can drain agency operating budgets.

• State-owned Property Protection
  State property assets are a significant investment of public dollars. State property includes buildings, equipment, supplies and vehicles, all essential to provide services.

• Avoiding Harm to Third Parties and Employment Practice Liability
  State agencies provide a wide variety of services to citizens and visitors. When an error occurs that causes harm and results in damages, the state´s self-insurance fund is tapped to pay for investigation, defense and resolution.

The Risk Control Unit Consultant's are available to help agencies identify, analyze and mitigate their loss exposures. This includes:

• Using past experiences to identify system breakdowns that resulted in harm.
• Applying an Incident Analysis process to identify all causes of the events that led to the harm.
• Utilizing a Risk Assessment process to identify exposures, quantify the risk and choose appropriate risk control techniques.

 
The Risk Control Consultant provides advice to key managers on preventing and managing work caused injury and illness among state employees. This consultant’s major duties include:

• Monitor and maintain the Statewide Safety Initiative.
• Oversee the services of the state’s workers’ compensation insurance policy with SAIF.
• Implement statewide systems to integrate safety management, prevent employee injury and minimize work caused disability to protect the state workforce.
• Address return to work issues that cross over with personnel systems, leave laws and injured worker protections.  

The Risk Control Consultant's core responsibilities center around DAS RM’s role to protect state-owned assets and minimize lose to the state’s self-insurance fund. This includes:

• Assist state agencies in identifying known and potential risks, review loss control measures, research and advise agencies on potential loss control techniques for their risk control programs.
• Review of the Annual Risk Report (See Conditions for Payment, Property Self-Insurance Policy Manual) to identify adverse risks and advise agencies on implementation of risk control programs.
• Analyze loss data and complaints, claims and suits to assess statewide risks and identify areas for improvement.
• Advise on state self-insurance coverage and commercial insurance options for state exposures.

• Establish statewide benchmarks, monitor and report on agency performance.

• Issue the state´s self-insurance policy manual and special agency endorsements. 

• Make loss data available to agencies enabling them to analyze and identify areas of loss, as well as, monitor effectiveness of risk mitigation and control.

• Design and develop a variety of strategic tools and guides for agencies to use to address and manage their risk of loss while sustaining their agency’s safety and risk programs.
  • RisKeys are topic specific guides to controlling risk in Oregon state government.
  • Risk Toolkits are a combination of tools and information developed during special projects. They include:
    • Citizen Complaint Toolkit
    • Office Ergonomics
    • Risk Assessment Roadmap Toolkit
    • Smart Contracting Toolkit
    • Vehicle Incident Prevention Project (VIPP) Toolkit

• Identify risks, research current risk control techniques, and advise on applying risk controls and implementing loss prevention programs.
  • Review and explain current self-insurance and commercial policy coverage.
  • Develop programs for special coverage needs. 
  • Promote agency use of the Risk Assessment Roadmap Toolkit to make and document their risk adjusted business decisions to protect the state´s best interests.

• Communicate information on safety and risk management primarily through the Risk Management Web site, RisKeyNotes Newletters, RisKeys, and our online list service, SafetyRisk - Insider.

• Provide training and development of Agency Risk Coordinator and Safety Advisor staff  through:
  • Biennial Risk Seminar and the Loss Management in State Government workshop series.
  • New Risk Coordinator and Safety Advisor orientation.
  • Job Shadow at RM.

Contract liability is not covered by the state´s self-insurance fund.
The Risk Control Unit provides limited assistance in Contract Decision Making.

We can help agencies:

• Develop a Safety Management System and Control Workers' Compensation Costs
• Prevent Vehicle Losses
• With Security Considerations for Plans, Programs or Procedures 
• With Emergency Evacuation Planning
• With Citizen Complaints About State Vehicles
• Track their property losses below the deductible with the Below the Deductible Database

Check out our Internet Sites of Interest
 
 

 
Deb Bogart, 503-373-7233
Sr. Risk Consultant 

Luella Ackerson, 503-373-7003
Risk Analyst 
  
Marie Hansen-Wargnier, 503-378-5515
Risk Consultant 
 
Andrea Peters, 503-378-5525
Risk Consultant 

Marlena Standley, 503-378-5469

Risk Consultant 

Mary Nekuda, 503-373-1037
Risk Control Program Support