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05/02/2008 - North America to Celebrate Workplace Safety Next Week
While recent years have seen vast improvements in the area of workplace safety, with 5,840 workplace deaths in 2006 there is still much room for improvement. Next week, companies, associations and individuals in the U.S., Canada and Mexico will be observing the annual North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH), which runs from May 4 – 10. The week seeks to highlight the importance of workplace safety, and provides employers with tools and ideas to help improve safety in their company. “Society as a whole benefits when there are fewer accidents and on-the-job injuries, increasing everyone's quality of life,” said Diane Hurns, manager of public relations for the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), a NAOSH Week organizer.
According to NAOSH Week organizers, participation and involvement in NAOSH Week has been shown to:
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Improve attitudes toward safety
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Increase understanding of the importance of occupational health and safety
Foster a safety-minded culture
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Increase cooperation, assist in team building and improve communication between employees, safety committees and safety professionals
“Businesses who have adopted safety into their core business strategy continue to see how safety contributes positively not only to their bottom line, but to the company’s brand and reputation and employee and vendor morale,” said Hurns. “Workplace safety also contributes to a reduction in health insurance and workers compensation costs and provides a safe working environment for employees and for the community they do business in.”
According to NAOSH, the week’s goal is to “focus the attention of employers, employees, the general public and all partners in occupational safety and health on the importance of preventing injury and illness in the workplace, at home and in the community.”
They identify their three main goals as:
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Increase understanding of the benefits of investment in occupational health and safety
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Raise awareness of the role and contribution of safety and health professionals
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Reduce workplace injuries and illness by encouraging new health and safety activities and interest in NAOSH Week in NAOSH Week
The annual event is coordinated by industry associations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. They include the ASSE’s occupational safety, health and environmental professional members and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as well as the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership, and 72 corporations and associations representing all industries. ASSE has also said more than 150,000 businesses and millions of people will take part in the week-long observance.
To learn more about the annual North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, visit http://www.naosh.org/.
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