Sam Raudins is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Greene County Legislature announced last week the county has received the New York State Association of Counties and Public Employee Risk Management Association’s annual Pioneer Award. The award honors “members who address challenges and produce a positive impact on the safety and health of their employees.” Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said the county maintains a workers compensation pool that towns and villages can join. The county also established a certified safety coordinator position to regularly inspect county facilities and to work closely with county departments. Groden said the number of incidents was reduced by increasing employee awareness and making changes in workplaces to prevent injury. The Well-Incentive program rewards employees with gift cards for getting regular medical checkups. Groden said having fewer workplace injuries is good for the county because it creates fewer expenses, but to him, there’s a greater benefit than savings. “What I like is that the workforce is healthier,... At the end of the day, it’s really about making sure our employees are healthy, strong and well,” he said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.