Risk Management Services Hosted Public Works Risk Management Training
Risk Management Services held a Public Works Risk Management training on April 16 in West Columbia, with three timely topics presented to public works staff.
The meeting began with a first aid and CPR awareness-level training presented by Tom Karpovitz. He provided CPR and automated external defibrillator demonstrations as well as basic first aid information, and encouraged everyone to complete a certified CPR training in the future.
The morning session concluded with a heat stress presentation presented by Brooks Wolfe. The Occupation Safety and Health Administration recently published a directive providing policies and procedures to protect employees from heat-related hazards. The presentation provided information regarding heat risk factors and what preventative measures employers can implement to ensure their employees are not impacted by high temperatures during the summer.
SC Municipal Insurance and Risk Financing Fund defense attorney Daniel Plyler presented the final session, discussing common liability exposures that impact public works. He described legal basics on negligence, premises liability and voluntary undertaking, and encouraged attendees to train their employees to look for and report hazards as they are working throughout their city or town. Plyler also recommended using the SC Department of Transportation street finder tool, and maintaining documentation of any agreements with SCDOT regarding the ownership of streets and sidewalks.
Risk Management Services Hosted Public Safety Training
Risk Management Services held a Public Safety training on May 12 in West Columbia. The morning session featured SC Municipal Insurance and Risk Financing Fund defense attorney Drew Butler discussing the lifecycle of a lawsuit, covering different stages such as receipt of a lawsuit, discovery, depositions and jury selection. He also explained how important it is for law enforcement officers to present themselves as credible witnesses throughout the process.
Attorney John Murphy, who is also a retired deputy fire chief, presented the afternoon session, discussing how to improve the discipline and investigation process. The session was tailored for fire staff but the principles included can be applied to other professions as well. He discussed the importance of having a discipline policy, and suggested having a code of conduct or ethical standards to include items not covered in the policy. Murphy also discussed what should take place during an investigation and why a competent internal investigation is so important.
Updated LocalGovU Course
The Risk Management Services’ LocalGovU online training platform has updated the “Violence in the Workplace” course in its catalog.
New additions to LocalGovU can be identified by a red “new course” banner listed on the image in the course catalog. Updated courses can be identified by a green “updated” banner on the image in the course catalog.
2026 Risk Management Services Training
Mark your calendar for the 2026 training courses for SCMIT and SCMIRF members.
Defensive Driving Training [Risk Management Institute Core Course]
Risk Management Services Conference/Annual Members Meeting [Risk Management Institute Core and Elective Course]