By Steve Mocarsky
smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
KINGSTON – In addition to working to increase revenues, Luzerne County Transportation Authority officials also have been working to cut costs and improve safety.
And authority officials were honored recently for their efforts.
Representatives from the Housing and Redevelopment Insurance Exchange, Joyce Associates and Excalibur Insurance presented a plaque to authority officials in April in recognition of the authority’s low-experience modification rating.
The rating is based on workplace safety and the incidence of workplace accidents, which affects the authority’s worker compensation insurance premiums.
Because the authority has one of the lowest ratings in the state, the authority saw premiums drop from $213,740 for 2007 to $198,131 for 2008.
“We have one of the lowest, if not the lowest, insurance mods in the transportation industry, and that’s despite a 3-percent salary increase this year,” said authority Executive Director Stanley Strelish.
Premiums are based partly on employee salaries, he said.
Strelish credits the formation of a safety committee 18 months ago and the work and dedication of the committee members – Operations Director Robb Henderson, maintenance supervisor Fred Brown, bus driver Justin Davis and mechanic Bob Hanchulak.
Some of the many safety improvements suggested by committee members and employees and implemented include the installation of mirrors and stop signs in the fuel shed, developing a fire escape plan and practicing fire drills, and the installation of exhaust fans in the bus garage.
“The program has been so successful because of 100 percent cooperation from all the employees,” Strelish said.
The authority has also been saving about $850 a month on heating costs after purchasing and installing a waste oil heater and ceiling fan for the garage.
The heater burns waste oil from authority buses. The heater and fan should pay for themselves within two years, Strelish said.