If an individual or entity has sustained property damage and/or bodily injury, pursuant to Georgia law a claim must be filed with the county within 12 months of the accident or occurrence. O.C.G.A. § 36-11-1. 

Citizens can dial 3-1-1 or visit https://311-at-your-service-myaugusta-augustagis.hub.arcgis.com/ to submit claim information online 24/7. 

After receiving the claim, the Risk Management Office will contact the citizen to begin an impartial investigation to determine if the county is liable. 

If it is determined there is liability on behalf of the county, the investigator will begin settlement negotiations to resolve the claim. If a settlement is reached, it must be approved by the appropriate authority prior to the release of a settlement check.

If it is determined that the county is not liable or the parties cannot agree on the amount of damages, the injured party may choose to file suit with the court having jurisdiction of the claim.

Three (3) conditions must all be met in order for Augusta to be liable for property damage caused by the condition of a sidewalk, roadway, parking lot, or other such space:    

•    An individual employee’s failure to perform a ministerial act willfully or wantonly must have caused the condition, and

•    The condition must have been hidden or concealed; and

•    The condition must have been known to Augusta, Georgia.

In all other circumstances, liability does not exist against Augusta, Georgia, its officers, employees, and agents.

Employees who operate city owned vehicles must register for the DDC within six (6) months of  hire. All other employees may volunteer to complete the DDC with approval from their department management. 

The DDC is regularly scheduled once per month, however, additional classes may be scheduled by departments with a minimum of 10 attendees. The DDC is a one (1) day course with each attendee receiving a Certificate of Completion from the National Safety Council. Many private automobile insurance companies offer discounted insurance rates for those who complete the DDC.

For emergencies, dial 9-1-1. All other work related injuries must be reported to Worker’s Compensation Nurse and Telehealth Line by dialing (855)443-5795 and select option 

• After the employee reports the injury, the supervisor must call the same number and select option 
• To complete the report of injury. Risk Management will contact the injured employee discuss benefits and expectations.

Employees who are classified as “safety sensitive” employees are subject to random substance abuse testing. Safety sensitive employees are numbered on a spreadsheet maintained by Risk Management. Numbers are generated randomly by a third party who DOES NOT have access to employee’s identifying information such as: name, SSN, birth date, employee ID numbers, etc. The random numbers are provided to Risk Management who then determines the employees for random testing. Random testing is completed monthly. Safety sensitive employees are subject to random testing every month, however, due to the random selection process, employees may be selected two or more months consecutively or not selected for several months. To simplify the answer, an employee can be selected as little as once or as many as 12 times per year due to the random selection process. 

The hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) is offered (not required) to employees whose job description places them at risk of coming in contact with bodily fluids. The HBV is free of charge and scheduled during the business day. The vaccine is a series of three (3) shots over a six (6) month time frame. Any employee who received the full vaccine at any time in their life is considered vaccinated.

Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) are gathered annually for all employees who drive city vehicles. 

Risk Management uses MVRs to determine the degree of liability employees represent on the roadway. Employees who acquire numerous traffic citations pose a great risk to themselves, other citizens and property. Annual MVRs is the primary tool Risk Management utilizes to ensure department directors are aware of employees potentially losing their city vehicle driving privileges.

No. The DDC and MVR are not related. The DDC is a course to enhance employee’s safe operation of motor vehicles, while the MVR is a record of traffic violations an employee has acquired. MVR points are reduced over time. Risk Management considers traffic violations for he past three (3) years only (for current employees) (4 years for new hire candidates), as time passes, points will be removed automatically. 

Risk Management cannot impose disciplinary actions, such as: letters of reprimand, suspension, termination, etc. Risk Management has the authority to investigate claims of wrong doing in accordance with established policies and inform management personnel of the specific policy violations and related available disciplinary actions, however, department directors are responsible for imposing disciplinary actions. Risk Management may suspend city vehicle driving privileges, which is a safety precaution, not a disciplinary action.