SafetyWorks! can help you prevent work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths and reduce related costs.

Our services are free and confidential and we do not issue fines or citations.

We help keep workers safe and healthy. And we help businesses thrive, because you will save four to six dollars for every dollar you invest in safety. The old adage is true — it pays to be safe!

Upcoming Safety Training

Click for full schedule

April

• 1: Hazard Communication / Global Harmonization (Portland)
• 2: Mine Safety and Health Administration
• 3 and 4: Public Works Safety     
• 7: Ladder Safety
• 15: Personal Protective Equipment Assessment
• 17: Welding/ Compressed Gasses
• 18: OSHA Recordkeeping
• 29: Accident Investigation/ Injury Analysis
• 30: Mine Safety and Health Administration 

Employer Services

Hiring Assistance

Maine Apprenticeship Program

Maine’s Job Bank

Work Experience for ASPIRE Participants

Find a CareerCenter near you...

• Augusta
• Bangor
• Brunswick
• Calais
• Lewiston
• Machias
• Portland
• Presque Isle
• Rockland
• Skowhegan
• Springvale
• Wilton

Connect on Social Media

Get statewide and regional information  about job fairs, no-cost workshops and services by connecting with the Department, your local CareerCenter and SafetyWorks! on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Need a Speaker?

If your upcoming training, community organization (Rotary, Chamber or other organization), veterans’ group, industry or professional association, workshop or other events need a speaker, the department can connect you with subject-matter experts to provide a relevant, engaging, and informative presentations on matters of interest, often on short notice.

Contact Julie Rabinowitz, director of communication, for more information and a list of topics.

Spring Jobs Fairs Scheduled Around the State

The Department of Labor’s network of 12 CareerCenters are sponsoring or participating in more than a dozen career fairs. Hundreds of employers will be hiring for both permanent and seasonal positions. This week, Maine's Job Bank hit 7,000 open jobs.

“Job fairs highlight the different companies and types of jobs a region offers,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “With our economy improving and our unemployment rate falling to 6.1 percent, now is a great time to participate in a job fair as an employer or a job seeker.”

Businesses interested in participating in these events and other free hiring services the department provides, such as Maine’s Job Bank, should contact their local CareerCenter.

Click for more information on this spring's job fairs.

President Proposing Overtime Changes

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers must pay time and a half to nonexempt employees who work more than 40 hours per week with some exceptions. In March President Obama directed the U.S. Department of Labor to update overtime regulations, making more workers eligible under federal law.

The Maine Department of Labor will continue to monitor these changes. If the salary requirements and duties test change for exempt employees, employers who want to maintain exemptions on those employees will be required to adhere to the new requirements.This rule-making process could take up to 18 months to finalize.

Sunset of Additional Employment Week of 'Nonliability' for Unemployment Charges and Legislation

The Maine Department of Labor delivered its impact report to the Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development (LCRED) Committee of the Legislature on LD 1832. This 2012 bill increased the number of weeks from five to six in which an employer could employ someone without incurring the unemployment insurance benefit charge liability if the individual collected benefits on termination. Under this bill, the benefit charges revert back to a prior employer or are cost-shifted across all taxable employers if there is not a chargeable prior employer. 

The one-week increase was legislatively scheduled to sunset and return to a five-week employment period on March 14, 2014. LCRED took no action, therefore, the department is advising employers affected by this provision to make note of the reversion back to five weeks.

Contact the Unemployment Field Advisor nearest you for questions about your industry or business:

More information for employers about the unemployment system is available here. 

CWRI Launches Blog, App for Informed Decision-Making

The Center for Workforce Research and Information (CWRI) of the Maine Department of Labor has created a mobile app for accessing economic data and launched a non-partisan blog on Maine’s economy.

Economists will use the blog to provide context for workforce conditions and trends.

The Maine Labor Stats application to fill a need for mobile users who want to use information about employment, unemployment and wage levels by occupation, industry or geography. CWRI plans to provide the latest data through this app as an on-the-go mobile-enabled mini-version of CWRI’s more extensive website.

The Maine Labor Stats mobile app and blog can be found on CWRI’s website.

More on the app

More on the blog

MDOL/UMaine System Online Courses for Employers

The University College of the University of Maine System has formed a partnership with the Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards to provide important public information to Maine’s employers.

These mini-courses, or short groups of lectures, are free and do not require advance registration.

http://dante.unet.maine.edu/wpmu/employers

Three courses that are currently available:

• Introduction to Recordkeeping for OSHA
• Prevailing Wages for State Construction Jobs
• Maine State Drug-Testing Law

Disability Mentoring Day 2014

Employers, are you thinking about your future workforce needs and looking to get connected with young jobseekers in your community? If so, we invite you to participate in 2014 Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) events.

DMD is a national effort to increase career awareness among youth with disabilities through job shadowing and other hands-on experiences. Thousands of youth and businesses participate each year.

During Summer 2014 the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation will be matching youth with interested employers for business tours, job shadows, and other mentoring opportunities. In mid-October, participating young people and employers will reconvene to learn from each other, participate in workshop sessions, and recognize their successes as part of national Disability Mentoring Day.

Interested in learning more and staying in touch? Please go to
http://maine.gov/rehab/73422/dmd.shtml

Jeanne Paquette, Commissioner of Labor

From the Commissioner

We are almost through another legislative session.  Here is how the major initiatives the Department of Labor undertook this year fared. 

It is priority of both Governor Paul LePage and the Department of Labor to make Maine a better place in which to do business and to work.  To that end, we proposed several legislative initiatives designed to keep effective programs and to improve others.

WorkShare – This program allows businesses to avoid layoffs during temporary downturns with wage supplement through partial unemployment benefits.  It passed in 2012 with a sunset clause.  Based upon employer feedback, the Department submitted an emergency bill to continue the program; this passed into law. 

Youth Employment – This bill, LD 1698, would make it easier for families to obtain work permits for their teens in the summer and allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work in movie theaters and bowling alleys. It did not pass in the House but an amended version passed the Senate. It's not too late to call your legislators and urge them to support this common-sense bill. 

Workplace Drug Testing  – This bill would streamline the process and eliminate requirements for employers implementing a drug-testing policy. The bill reported out of committee, largely on a party line vote, with an amendment that establishes a short-term task force to develop a model policy and eliminated other recommended reforms. This bill is on the Senate Calendar as part of their unfinished business.

Unemployment System Reform – The department has begun to implement the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Unemployment System. As part of this, our proposed bill to release federal funds held in reserve in the trust fund passed, allowing the department to hire staff and upgrade technology without requiring general funds or increasing employer-paid unemployment taxes.

In conclusion, the Maine Department of Labor is committed to serving the people of Maine. Please continue to suggest needed changes to the law and areas where we can improve services.  I look forward to seeing many employers at the statewide HR conference in May.