Service NL
May 8, 2017

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Perry Trimper, Minister of Service NL and Minister Responsible for Workplace NL:

Minister Recognizes North American Occupational Safety and Health Week

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this house today to recognize May 8-14 as the 20th anniversary of North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, or NAOSH Week.

It was my honour this afternoon to participate in the annual NAOSH Week flag raising ceremony organized by the local chapter of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering here at Confederation Building.

Every year, employees and employers across Canada, the United States and Mexico recognize this special week, which focuses on raising awareness of the importance of preventing workplace accidents and occupational illnesses.

This year’s theme is Make Safety a Habit, which is an excellent reminder for everyone that we need to make health and safety a part of our everyday routine.

Mr. Speaker, a good way to establish a habit is by starting young.

I was pleased to see students from the Occupational Health and Safety class at Holy Spirit High at this afternoon’s event, along with the winners of this year’s WorkplaceNL student safety video and radio ad contests.

The winners of the radio ad contest are Megan Coles and Caitlyn Coles from Holy Spirit High.

The winners of the video ad, from Villanova Junior High, are Michael Burke, Jillian Chiarot, Samuel Collins, Nicole English, Claire Gillingham, Isabella Hayes, Ashley Howe, Jacob Kavanagh, Jefta Merkuratsuk, Justin Oake, Jessica Olford, Eli Paulin and Daniel Scott.

I commend these students for their commitment to making safety a habit, and I encourage everyone to follow their example.

By working together, government, employers and employees can ensure that everyone ‎returns home from work, healthy and safe, every day.

Thank you

2017 05 08                              2:10 p.m.