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.