The Safety Consultation and Training Section (SCATS) of the State of Nevada’s Division of Industrial Relations recognizes the disability services provider and employer, Opportunity Village, with the Safe Partner Award. Designed to increase safety awareness and strengthen safety culture within the workplace, this elite award is given to a maximum of four businesses annually out of the 80,000 employers in Nevada.
“Our safety culture at Opportunity Village has continued to grow since partnering with SCATS,” said Steven Luce, Manager of Risk Management, Opportunity Village. “We’ve involved every department in safety and we bring SCATS consultants to each of the organization’s six locations annually to help us identify areas for improvement. They’ve helped our entire organization make safety a priority.”
Luce also attributes the reduction in the not-for-profit’s workers’ compensation claims to the collaboration with SCATS; Opportunity Village’s claims decreased from 36 for 2018-2019 to 22 for 2020-2021. In its safety culture improvement efforts, the organization has implemented safety committees for each of its six southern Nevada locations that review and distribute safety communications monthly for all employees.
Opportunity Village joins a committed group of organizations that prioritize employee health and safety. Recognition is granted for using a range of the no-cost services from SCATS such as safety consultations, training courses, enrollment in the Safety and Health Practitioner Program and more.
“Opportunity Village’s commitment to safety excellence positions them as leaders in the not-for-profit industry,” said Todd Schultz, Chief Administrative Officer for SCATS. “It’s rewarding to see organizations who do incredibly meaningful work in the community put their employees’ health and well-being first.”
SCATS provides employers with confidential hazard identification, program development, implementation assistance and training. Employers who implement effective safety programs and have a days-away restricted transfer rate below the national average for their industry may be recognized by SCATS.
Businesses interested in the Safe Partner Award or other safety programs can contact SCATS at 775-824-4630. For more information or to schedule free training courses, businesses can call 1-877-4SAFENV or visit 4safenv.state.nv.us.
About Opportunity Village
Mission: Opportunity Village is a not-for-profit organization that serves people throughout our community with intellectual disabilities, to enhance their lives and the lives of the families who love them.
Seven families who were determined to give their children with disabilities the best lives possible founded Opportunity Village in 1954. Now, more than six decades later, Opportunity Village is one of the most recognized and respected organizations of its type in the United States. Nevada’s largest employer of people with disabilities, Opportunity Village serves over 3,000 people annually, providing vocational training, employment, habilitation and social recreation programs and services. People supported in Opportunity Village’s Prevocational Training Programs and in jobs provided by the organization throughout the community, have collectively earned wages amounting to more than $3.7 million in 2020. They are hardworking and diligent, proudly paying taxes and happily leading fulfilling lives. Primarily a self-funded organization, Opportunity Village generates the majority of its operational funding through its employment contracts, multiple business lines, fundraising efforts such as the Magical Forest and Great Santa Run, and grants on the federal and state level, saving Nevada taxpayers more than $37 million annually.