MIIA Grant Award

The Town of Salisbury has received a grant from the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA) totaling $7,935. Currently, MIIA acts as our insurer for property, liability, automotive, and worker’s compensation insurance. For the last several years, MIIA has offered a grant program to Municipalities once a year targeting certain risk management aspects that MIIA has deemed important. This year, MIIA focused on property and OSHA compliance.

Back in early November, Salisbury submitted to MIIA a grant application targeting MIIA’s priorities and we were successful in securing funding for two sets of risk management related items. First, we will install four temperature sensors in the Salisbury Public Library. These sensors will link to the existing fire alarm system and will alert the Town when the temperature in the roof drops too low. If the temperature drops below a safe point, our Public Works Department will respond and adjust the heat as required. This idea is in response to an insurance loss the Town suffered last winter when our sprinkler pipes froze costing thousands in damages to the Library’s meeting room, which MIIA had to cover. Preventing a situation like this benefits the Town by saving countless hours by staff managing restoration efforts after a loss, keeping an important asset like the meeting room functioning, and keeping our claims down which keeps our premium down.

In addition to the sensors, the Department of Public Works will be replacing several pieces of safety equipment that have fallen into disrepair. These new items include four body harnesses, 15 visibility jackets, and 12 loggers’ helmets. These items will also be OSHA compliant so that the Town can keep up with the state’s new requirement that municipalities comply with OSHA regulations. Furthermore, body harnesses allow our employees to safely lower each other into manholes, the visibility jackets keep our workers safe on the roads by making them visible to traffic during the day and at night, and the helmets protect the staff from falling objects during construction or tree work. All these items not only comply with OSHA as mentioned, but are desirable regardless of the law because safety is a top priority for the Town of Salisbury.