MIIA recognizes communities for risk management, wellness efforts

In recognition of their dedication and commitment to risk management and employee wellness, MIIA recognized member communities and municipal entities during the MIIA Annual Business Meeting held on Jan. 21.

Risk Management
MIIA’s Risk Management Team recognizes the following members for their commitment to safety and renewed emphasis on compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards.

Chelmsford: The town of Chelmsford demonstrated its commitment to building a culture of safety by hiring a municipal safety specialist a few years ago. The safety specialist identifies risks and coordinates safety efforts across all departments. He facilitates OSHA compliance and ensures there’s a collaborative effort to eliminate or reduce the risk when safety or risk issues arise, often using internal expertise to develop tailored departmental training programs. The town holds monthly safety committee meetings where all departments participate in safety-related discussions and share successes.

Plymouth: The town of Plymouth is one of MIIA’s most active members focused on risk management and safety. This commitment crosses all departments and all levels of management. The Department of Public Works stands out with its focus on monthly training for all staff led by a dedicated safety coordinator. This year, the DPW and Risk Management partnered to provide regular training tailgates focused on injury prevention and conducted proactive training refreshers, based on injuries sustained locally, to help reinforce safety procedures.

West Springfield: The town of West Springfield continues to maintain a successful risk management program. Central to this are regularly scheduled safety committee meetings held in conjunction with their risk manager and focused on property surveys, OSHA compliance and overall public safety. To further advance their OSHA knowledge base, two town employees are enrolled in the MIIA-sponsored OSHA Public Sector Safety and Health Fundamentals Certificate Program. Additionally, West Springfield has redoubled its commitment to Department of Labor Standards compliance for employee work areas across all departments. As evidence of their commitment to safety, the town successfully planned and hosted the Eastern States Exposition, New England’s largest state fair that attracts more than a million people.

Wilbraham: The town of Wilbraham provides valuable safety resources and goes one step further by sharing these resources with neighboring towns. At the heart of this effort is Public Works Director and town engineer Tonya Basch, who, in addition to completing the 110-hour OSHA Public Sector Safety and Health Fundamentals Certificate Program, also serves on the Department of Labor Standards Advisory Committee. She drafted and implemented numerous safety protocols during the pandemic that were deployed within the DPW and shared and implemented by several neighboring communities. Town officials meet with Risk Management on a regular basis and are committed to ensuring full compliance with DLS-required training for all departments.

Health and Wellness
This year’s winners were recognized for their steadfast participation in wellness activities during fiscal 2021.

Over the last two years, MIIA Well Aware dramatically increased the quantity and quality of remote programming. Each of the winners participated in nearly all Well Aware activities and took advantage of many of the unique resources offered.

These groups remained actively involved in employee health and well-being, despite challenging times and the lack of on-site opportunities:
• Town of Amherst
• Town of Dartmouth
• Town of Walpole
• City of Woburn
• Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District

MIIA recognizes the leadership of these groups for their steadfast support and encouragement for wellness.

Written by Stephen Batchelder, MIIA’s VP of Claims Operations and Risk Management, and Wendy Gammons, MIIA’s Wellness Manager