Missoula Store Receives $112,000 Dividend Payment For Work Place Safety

The Board of Directors of Montana State Fund is declaring a $40 million dividend to the Montana policy holders who have demonstrated excellence in workplace safety. According to MSF President and CEO Laurence Hubbard, Montana has a higher than national average injury rate.

“It is costing us not only lives but also lots of dollars that should be spent elsewhere in the economy,” said Hubbard. “This is one way for us to promote from Sidney all the way here to Missoula, to put a very clear spotlight on the need for changing our workplace safety culture in Montana, so that when people go to work in the morning, they come home just as safe as when they left their homes.”

Hubbard says one store in Missoula is getting a rather large amount of money back.

“The Good Food Store is getting a $112,000 dividend payment back,” Hubbard said. “The dividend is based on the safety record of the employer. They are getting about 28% of the premium that they paid in 2015 back, which is real money that they can use to improve work place safety in their store and reward employees that exercise safe work practices.”

Hubbard says Montanans typically like to get things done and oftentimes safety is the last thing on their mind. He hopes that employers and employees recognize that focusing on work place safety could lead to a return in dividends.