Officials for the Town of Thomaston have been awarded a Safety Grant by the Maine Municipal Association Workers Compensation Fund in the amount of $2,185.48.

The grant funding will be used to purchase critical safety equipment for the Town's Code Enforcement, Police, and Fire Departments, including hard hats, steel-toed footwear, high-visibility safety vests, traffic cones, and a vehicle backup alarm.

"These departments regularly work in and around construction sites, mining operations, active roadways, and emergency incident scenes where visibility and personal protective equipment are essential," said the Town, in a news release. "The new equipment will help reduce the risk of workplace injuries, improve situational awareness, and ensure Town employees can safely perform inspections, emergency response duties, and traffic control operations while protecting both personnel and the public."

The Ed MacDonald Safety Grants and Scholarship provide financial assistance to members of the MMA Workers Compensation Fund to purchase safety equipment or services to assist in reducing the frequency and severity of workplace injuries. The grant programs are designed to prevent injuries and improve workplace safety for Maine employees.

"The reduction in employee injuries also benefits the taxpayers by lessening lost hours at work, cost of claims and potential overtime expenses for employees who might have to fill in for injured co-workers," said the news release.

The Maine Municipal Association has been awarding Safety Grants to members of the Workers’ Compensation fund since 1999.

"The Ed MacDonald Safety Grants and Scholarships are an example of a successful partnership that has been preventing workplace injuries by bestowing more than $7.1 million in the funding of 4,692 Safety Grants and 581 Scholarship," said the release. "Together we are building safe communities." 

For more information about Maine Municipal Association Risk Management Service programs, including Safety Grant eligibility and applications, please visit www.memun.org and click on the Risk Management Services link, or call 1-800-590-5583.