During its Annual Business Meeting at Connect 351 in Boston on Jan. 25, MIIA presented awards to member communities to recognize their commitment to safety, risk management, and employee wellness.
Hadley Select Board Chair Molly Keegan, second from right, poses with Hadley’s risk management award during the MIIA Annual Business Meeting in Boston on Jan. 25. Standing with her, left to right, are MIIA Chair and Chelmsford Town Manager Paul Cohen; Lin Chabra, MIIA’s senior manager of risk management; and MMA Executive Director Adam Chapdelaine.
Shawn Comeau, public works code enforcer for the city of Leominster, was awarded the second annual MIIA Safety Leadership Award, which recognizes an individual dedicated to high safety standards and who exemplifies a commitment to protecting people and property.
As a skilled and dedicated safety professional, Comeau has elevated Leominster’s safety efforts from compliance to a broader leadership strategy. This is reflected in his recent accomplishments, which include helping the city conduct a 500-year flood recovery process, working to keep Leominster’s employees healthy and injury-free, and developing a robust safety program for the local Department of Public Works. Comeau also participates in Leominster’s Safety Committee meetings, works collaboratively across city departments, and is currently leading the development of a city-wide Safety and Health Program. He met or exceeded all award criteria, including demonstrating concern for protecting people and property, dedication to high safety standards, continuous improvement of worker health and safety, and exemplifying leadership, partnership and collaboration.
MIIA’s Risk Management program recognized the following members for their commitment to safety and renewed compliance with U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration standards.
The town of Brewster has demonstrated a consistent and proactive focus on risk management. The leadership holds quarterly safety meetings where departments collaborate to identify key loss areas and trends and then develops preventative safety programs and training to address them. In response to loss-related challenges within MIIA’s property program, Brewster facilities staff worked with MIIA risk managers to install integrated sensor monitoring technology to protect valuable infrastructure from water-related losses resulting from extreme weather conditions.
The town of Hadley maintains a strong and dedicated safety committee focused on personnel and employee safety. They maintain compliance with both Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards and OSHA guidelines, continuously update and maintain policies and procedures, and conduct risk mitigation efforts targeting property and professional liability challenges. The town of Hadley is committed to ensuring that employees receive comprehensive safety training, and has graciously served as the host for several MIIA regional training courses.
The town of Norwood consistently and proactively focuses on risk management. All town departments work collaboratively and participate in quarterly safety meetings sponsored by the town’s leadership, where they identify key loss areas and trends, develop preventative safety programs, and address training needs. Additionally, Norwood participates in the MIIA Rewards program, and recently leveraged funds from MIIA’s Risk Management grant initiative to upgrade its cyber risk prevention protection.
MIIA recognized several members who excelled in employee health and wellness efforts. Each winner participated in Well Aware activities and took advantage of MIIA’s many programs and resources.
Excellence in Diversity of Programming Manchester-by-the-Sea’s employee wellness champions, Jennifer Yaskell and Cheryl Marshall, work closely with the town’s MIIA wellness representative to develop customized programming that is driven by employee and manager input, leading to high participation rates across all departments.
Excellence in Employee Engagement The city of Newburyport has fostered a productive partnership between municipal managers and employee wellness champions — Donna Drelick, Lisa Reilly, Pam Kealey and Gail Derrivan — to structure wellness programming that aligns with employee schedules and interests. This tailored approach has greatly increased employee participation in wellness programs.
Excellence in Wellness
The town of Sandwich’s wellness committee, led by employee wellness champion Marie Buckner, includes active participation by representatives from each of the town’s 10 departments. In fiscal 2024, Sandwich offered 15 MIIA wellness programs, including fitness, nutrition and mindfulness.
Outstanding Wellness Champion
Brigette Bell, human resources and benefits coordinator for the town of Tyngsborough, also serves as the town’s Wellness Champion. She works tirelessly to bring a broad spectrum of programming options to employees. In fiscal 2024, she also managed Tyngsborough’s Health Benefits Fair, and worked to secure a MIIA Well Aware grant that supports first responders.
