OXFORD — Town officials on Thursday evening authorized a committee to pursue municipal health and safety improvements to address employee welfare. 

Selectmen voted unanimously to approve a Safety, Health and Loss Control Policy that encourages safe practices for town employees and the public on town properties.

The vote is an endorsement of the committee’s work toward that end, with the goal of creating a comprehensive plan that addresses all aspects of safety, Town Manager Michael Chammings told selectmen. 

The eight-member committee, made up of residents from a variety of backgrounds, will meet biweekly. Chammings said one of the goals is for it to monitor happenings around town, pointing out areas for improvement. He said no major concerns are immediately apparent and it will be the committee’s work to point them out as they arise.

In a brief sketch of the policy that will eventually be adopted into the plan, measures call for educating managers and employees how to prevent workplace accidents, create an organizational culture of safety and comply with state and federal codes. 

The impetus for creating the committee and its work was a recommendation from the town’s insurer following violations unearthed by the Department of Labor, Chammings said. Most violations were minor, such as the need for new tiles in the hallway at the Town Office and a catwalk near the Thompson Lake Dam. 

“The Department of Labor doesn’t say ‘if’ they’ll find violations, but ‘when’,” Chammings said. 

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