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May 4, 2009

The following statement was issued by the Honourable Paul Oram, Minister of Business, on behalf of the Honourable Kevin O�Brien, Minister of Government Services. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

North American Occupational Safety and Health Week

Today, on behalf of my colleague the Minister of Government Services, I participated in an event which draws the attention of employers, employees, the general public and all partners in occupational health and safety to the importance of preventing injury and illness in the workplace, at home and in the community.

This afternoon, I was proud to raise the flag declaring this week as North American Occupational Safety and Health Week or NAOSH Week. I was joined by the local chapter of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineers along with a number of companies who are leaders in occupational health and safety.

This year�s theme is Make It Home Safe�Every Day. It reminds us all to look around our workplaces to see what improvements can be made so that we make it home to our loved ones safely every day. It is also important to remember that good health and safety practices should be used in all aspects of our lives. Safety is not just for workplaces.

NAOSH Week strives to increase understanding of the benefits of investment in occupational health and safety and to raise awareness of the role and contribution of health and safety professionals. It is our hope that by recognizing NAOSH Week and participating in health and safety initiatives, we will make further strides in reducing workplace injuries and illness.

NAOSH Week is celebrated every year in Canada, the United States and Mexico and its success can be attributed to the high regard business, labour and government have for this week. The Occupational Health and Safety Branch of the Department of Government Services has always been a proud participant. We will continue to work hard to do our part in making workplaces safer.

The local chapter of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineers put a lot of effort in planning and promoting NAOSH Week. In addition to the flag being raised here at Confederation Building, they have arranged for the flag to be raised at all trade schools in the province and some high schools as well. This group was the pioneer of NAOSH Week and their recognition of the benefits of improving attitudes towards safety quickly turned into a need to recognize this important issue across the rest of North America. Our safety professionals have shown that they are leaders in spreading the message about injury and illness prevention in our workplaces. I congratulate them on this achievement.

I encourage everyone to do something in their workplaces during NAOSH Week to raise awareness of the importance of health and safety.

2009 05 04                                                     1:45 p.m.
 


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