The South Carolina Counties’ Insurance Trusts recognized 18 counties this year for their dedication to mitigating risk and keeping communities safe.
Submitted projects ranged from minimizing motor vehicle accidents to assisting residents who might be struggling with opioid addiction.
South Carolina Association of Counties Director of Insurance Services Robert Benfield encouraged counties to collaborate with each other and to share their tactics and strategies for minimizing risk in their departments, highlighting the award-winning projects as blueprints that could be adapted to fit the needs of neighboring counties.
“You do so much that goes unnoticed by the public, so we thank you for all that you do,” Benfield said.
See photos of this year's award winners.
Berkeley County: Outstanding Safety Achievement Award; Service Award
Berkeley County analyzed their motor vehicle accidents and investigated the use of dashboard cameras—driver-facing and forward-facing—in June 2025. The first camera has been installed, and others are being installed in 40 additional vehicles. During the trial run, the truck equipped with the camera was involved in a preventable motor vehicle accident. After reviewing the incident, risk managers realized that one spotter was used, but that two spotters could have prevented the incident as there was a blind spot that the driver and single spotter could not see. The camera system will be a useful tool for investigating motor vehicle accidents and defending the county and drivers from false allegations in the future.
Berkeley County Safety Superintendent Brandon Peters was nominated for a Service Award for his willingness to assist others in the areas of information sharing on the Federal Motor Carrier Act and safety programs that will help other counties improve their risk management programs. He also assisted other members with information on when and how Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reportable cases must be reported to South Carolina OSHA.
Charleston County: Outstanding Safety Achievement Award
Charleston County initiated an injured worker-centric approach to their workers’ compensation program. The goal of this program, which began in December 2024, is to:
- Ensure all injured employees have just-in-time knowledge of how to access care within the county network.
- Inform workers who they can call to answer questions and help troubleshoot.
- Return injured employees to work as soon as possible.
- Educate injured employees on the SC Workers’ Compensation system, including transparency around temporary total disability and permanent partial disabilities calculations.
- Develop a sincere connection with the injured employees and their families, fostering trust and eliminating the need for legal representation.
This has resulted in fewer injured employees immediately seeking representation because their needs are being met, benefits are explained face to face, and they have an advocate at the county they can call.
Chesterfield County: Outstanding Safety Achievement Award
Three years ago, Chesterfield County began a countywide safety awareness program that entailed distributing bags filled with safety tips and goodies to keep employees aware that safety is always first. The program has raised awareness, and employees now look forward to this annual event.
Colleton County: Outstanding Safety Achievement Award
After experiencing direct warnings from property owners and hostile signage on properties while conducting official business, the Colleton Countytax collector developed a comprehensive field operations program and equipment upgrades.
Since the implementation of the new program and upgraded equipment, the county has not had any negative encounters while in the field, and taxpayers have been receptive to the changes. This had a positive impact on Colleton County’s overall safety and risk management program. The upgrades also have enhanced employee protection, reduced liability exposure, improved documentation for potential claims, and strengthened operational credibility.
Florence County: Outstanding Safety Achievement Award
Florence County Fire Departments implemented a system to help keep firefighters safe during an emergency. The accountability system includes 50 tablets that were distributed throughout county stations offering more efficient communications to fire fighters when entering burning structures, wildfires and other dangerous scenarios.
The system offers multiple functions from requesting a “CAN” (Conditions, Actions, Needs) report, to alerting all to evacuate. If there is no response from a team member, the commanding or assisting officer can send an emergency beacon to the non-responding radio to locate the firefighter, and the rapid intervention team can be sent in to assist.
Georgetown County: Outstanding Safety Achievement Award
Georgetown has experienced multiple incidents involving fire vehicles and apparatus striking bay doors while exiting fire stations. Although each occurrence is thoroughly investigated, a definitive cause is not always determined. The hurricane rated doors at the stations cost more than $15,000 each.
To mitigate this issue, Midway Fire requested and was approved to purchase and install an indicator light system that clearly displays the door’s status to drivers. The system is located beside each bay door and consists of a 10-foot LED strip. When the door is fully closed, the strip displays a solid red light. While the door is opening, the strip flashes red, and once the door is fully seated in the open position, the LED strip turns solid green. Since installing these systems, there have been zero incidents involving fire apparatus striking bay doors.
Horry County: Outstanding Safety Achievement Award
The Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR) Harm Reduction Leave Behind Naloxone and Resource Kit Program emerged in direct response to the national opioid crisis and its direct impact on residents and visitors. Through proactive measures, the county leveraged available state opioid abatement funding to support program implementation, especially in support of safety and harm reduction initiatives. The program was launched to meet the urgent need for coordinated accessible interventions addressing substance use disorders and mental health conditions filling longstanding service gaps across one of South Carolina's largest counties.
These efforts are also aimed at decreasing potential repetitive strain on emergency medical services (EMS) resources. The growth of Horry County has increased HCFR’s call volume to record numbers every year in recent history. Lowering opioid overdose calls will reduce first responders’ exposure to those dangerous situations and burnout from repeated overdose calls.
Since the program’s inception, the HCFR Harm Reduction Program has doubled the Harm Reduction Team’s outreach. Of the more than 1,600 doses of naloxone the Harm Reduction Team has distributed this past year, almost 800 doses have been delivered directly to the most vulnerable and at-risk populations.
Kershaw County: Outstanding Safety Achievement Award
This year Kershaw County initiated a GeoTab contract to monitor an array of features for the vehicles in their fleet. The county is now able to track if employees are speeding, making rapid stops or engaging in other erratic driving patterns. In addition, in the event of a motor vehicle accident, they can see the exact moment of impact and the speed or if the drivers were violating any other traffic laws or department policies. This system will aid Kershaw County in its efforts to hold drivers accountable for preventable accidents, ultimately changing driving behavior.
Lexington County: Outstanding Safety Achievement Award
Lexington County Risk Management organized forklift training and certification through Midlands Tech for 43 employees across four departments: Fleet, EMS, Solid Waste and Central Stores.
Forklifts are used daily throughout these departments, but only about 20% of employees have ever received formal training. The employees that had received training had expired certifications. Employees receiving forklift certifications reduce the risk of forklift related incidents and workplace injuries and meet regulatory requirements under OSHA.
Richland County: Outstanding Safety Achievement Award
The Richland County Leadership Summit provided more than 100 directors, assistant directors and managers with advanced leadership tools to lead at the highest level of county government. This summit focuses on strengthening executive decision-making, risk awareness, workforce accountability and cross-department collaboration to support consistent, effective operations across Richland County. The event was held Dec. 4, 2024, at the South Carolina State Museum. It was so successful that the county recently repeated the concept in December 2025.
Spartanburg County: Outstanding Safety Achievement Award
Spartanburg County’s Solid Waste Division has always experienced higher than average workers’ compensation claims reporting. This was due to many factors, including a lack of administration of safety culture from front facing employees. Risk Management worked closely with the Solid Waste managerial staff to devise a way to reduce claims. Several actions helped accomplish this:
- Risk Management visited all 16 collection sites to observe and speak with front-facing employees.
- Risk Management led several safety meetings for the division to focus more on claims reporting.
- Risk Management worked in tandem with the Solid Waste managers to implement a “Toolbox Talk Initiative,” which proved to be most beneficial for these employees.
Since the Toolbox Talk Initiative, claims have seen a 60% decrease. By working closely with the Solid Waste Division, and with the support of the Solid Waste managers, the team was able to drastically reduce their claims in that division and reinstate a culture of safety and accountability.
Sustained Excellence Awards
These recognitions are given to members who meet or exceed all basic risk management standards consistently.
Berkeley County
Charleston County
Colleton County
Dorchester County
Georgetown County
Horry County
Kershaw County
Lancaster County
Spartanburg County
SC Counties Property & Liability Trust Lag Time Awards
These awards are given to three members who had the lowest average claims reporting time in the Property & Liability Trust.
Saluda County: 0.60 days
Chesterfield County: 3.13 days
Fairfield County: 3.38 days
SC Counties Workers’ Compensation Trust Lag Time Awards
These awards are given to the three members who had the lowest average claims reporting time in the Workers’ Compensation Trust.
Colleton County: 0.10 days
Spartanburg County: 0.29 days
Anderson County: 0.51 days
SC Counties Workers’ Compensation Trust Experience Modifier Awards
These awards are given to three members who had the lowest experience modifier in the trust. An experience modifier is like a grade for workplace safety. Fewer accidents than average yield a modifier below 1.0.
Florence County: 0.63
Newberry County: 0.67
Edgefield County: 0.69