JAY – New traffic safety equipment – cones, plastic drums and barricades – will be bought with the help of $1,258.37 from a safety enhancement grant program.

Highway Department Foreman John Johnson said that representatives from the state Department of Labor didn’t like the looks of some of the traffic cones, safety barrels and barricades set up when employees are doing work in or near the road, Johnson said.

The safety equipment is expected to cost $1,887, with the grant paying for two-thirds of the cost and the department’s budget paying about $629.

It is the second time the Highway Department has received this type of grant, Johnson said. The first was for a hydraulic tailgate to help with picking up heavy items, including manhole covers, he said.

The town also received a grant for a safety video library for ergonomics at the town office.

Safety enhancement and scholarship grant programs offer financial incentives to members of the Maine Municipal Association Workers Compensation Fund, Town Manager Ruth Marden said in a news release.

Safety grants are used to buy safety equipment or services that assist in reducing the frequency and severity of workplace injuries, she stated.

MMA has been awarding safety grants to members of its workers compensation funds since 1999.