Safety is an important part of quality health care. McLeod Health places a high priority on employee safety as well as the delivery of state-of-the-art medical care to patients from the Midlands to the Coast.

In recognition of their commitment to safety, six teams within the McLeod Health organization have been awarded the 2015 South Carolina Safety Award. These teams include: McLeod Regional Medical Center, McLeod Darlington, McLeod Home Health, McLeod Health & Fitness Center, McLeod Loris, and McLeod Physician Associates.

The Safety, Health and Security Committee of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce honors those South Carolina businesses that have excellent safety records with the South Carolina Safety Award. This award is designed to recognize companies and their employees who have had a commendable Lost Workday Case Rate during the 2015 calendar year. The Lost Workday Case Rate is the number of employee hours worked at a facility divided by the number of cases that represented work days missed.

"This is the ninth year that McLeod has been recognized with the Safety Award," said Octavia Williams-Blake, McLeod Vice President, Workplace Health & Safety. "The McLeod Safety Champion Program is instrumental in helping us achieve this honor for McLeod Health."

Led by Todd Laliberte, McLeod Occupational Health and Safety Manager, the Safety Champion Program is an employee safety-oriented program designed to reinforce safe behavior in the workplace. One employee from each McLeod department is chosen to serve as Safety Champion. This person is responsible for monitoring employee safety within their departments during monthly rounds.

"Safety Champions are advocates, educators, and cheerleaders for employee safety," said Laliberte. "This program has increased employee awareness of appropriate safety behaviors and has encouraged employees to be more diligent about the safety of their fellow employees.

"It is all of our staff working together as a team that made this award possible," added Laliberte.

For more information on the South Carolina Safety Award, please visit the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce website at www.scchamber.net.