The Association's Agency assists towns to determine if additional insurance is needed and can help obtain those coverages. There are a variety of other opportunities for towns to manage their risk. The starting point for many of these efforts are the ever-increasing number of worker and workplace safety requirements. Towns covered by this requirement need to develop a written plan that assigns responsibility to implement safety reviews and programs. An annual review of the plan is required.
Some towns use safety checklists as a way of reducing potential problems.
These checklists cover everything from playground safety to road maintenance and inspection duties. By establishing a written list of items to consider when carrying out an activity the board can reduce the likelihood that something will be missed and the completed lists can serve as documentation of maintenance activities and reviews. Another significant means of limiting liability is for the board to establish policies for how it undertakes certain activities. For instance, boards should seriously consider adopting a snowplowing policy. A town is in a much better position to defend against a snow related claim when it can show that it was carrying out its snow removal activities in accordance with a well thought out written policy.