The Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents’ SafetyWorks Training Grant Program, which can help cities, towns and municipal entities strengthen workplace safety programs, is accepting applications from June 1 through June 30.
Administered by the DIA’s Office of Safety, the reimbursement-based program helps municipal employers fund workplace safety training focused on preventing or addressing injuries. Municipalities can apply for grants of up to $25,000.
The SafetyWorks program supports a range of training needs, including active shooter guidance, confined space safety, defensive driving, lockout/tagout, slip, trip and fall prevention, and workplace de-escalation strategies. Many of these training areas address common municipal risk exposures and support broader efforts to reduce injuries and related claims.
According to the DIA, the fiscal 2025 SafetyWorks program awarded 160 grants totaling $800,000.
Municipalities may apply for SafetyWorks grants either individually or as part of a multi-entity consortium (an approach DIA encourages because it allows communities to train employees from multiple towns together and make the most of available funding).
As part of the application, municipalities must identify a Massachusetts-based training provider and gather required documentation from them, including a Certificate of Good Standing from the Department of Revenue and COMMBUYS registration information. DIA representatives also emphasize the importance of providing detailed information in the budget narrative portion of the application.
To learn more about SafetyWorks, MIIA and the DIA are holding a “Safety is Not an Accident” event on June 17 at the at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, where representatives from MIIA, DIA SafetyWorks, and the Department of Labor Standards will discuss available safety resources and provide opportunities to meet potential training providers.
MIIA encourages its members to leverage SafetyWorks as part of comprehensive workplace safety planning. The program complements MIIA’s Risk Management Grant Program, which opens for fiscal 2027 applications on July 1.
Questions about the SafetyWorks application process may be sent to the DIA Office of Safety at wpsgms@mass.gov.
