Health and Safety of Workers Pushed to the Forefront with NAOSH Week

HAMILTON, ON (April 25, 2005) Keeping workers safe and healthy is a fundamental priority and an ongoing concern for Canadians. Once a year, this commitment is renewed with a week-long initiative called NAOSH Week. From May 1-7, communities, and businesses throughout Canada, the United States and Mexico work to raise awareness of workplace health and safety issues and help prevent occupational injuries and illnesses. Canadas national resource, the Canadian Centre for Occupation Health and Safety (CCOHS) is offering a selection of informational programs and calling on Canadians to get involved in NAOSH Week.

The theme for NAOSH Week 2005 is Equip, Educate, Empower. Information and knowledge are powerful tools to support prevention initiatives. In keeping with the theme, CCOHS is presenting a complimentary series of Webinars running May 2-10th.

The CCOHS Webinars will be live web presentations using both phone-based teleconferencing for audio and Internet technology for delivering PowerPoints or other visual file formats. CCOHS expert staff will be delivering live presentations throughout the week on a variety of topics, May 2-10th 2005. There are limited virtual seats available therefore early registration is recommended to avoid disappointment.

The Webinar topic schedule is listed on the CCOHS website and includes the following:

May 2
Driving Safety

May 3 & 10
Global Harmonization System (GHS): An Introduction

May 4
Occupational Disease Resources on the Internet

May 5
E-Learning in Health and Safety Management-The CCOHS Experience

For an easy way to share the information, the webinars can be run in boardrooms and venues. This is an effective way for Health and Safety Committee Members, Managers, Supervisors and Health and Safety Professionals to participate in the session and it can also serve as a platform for further discussion.

Go to http://ccohs.webex.com to register for the webinar of your choice.

Other NAOSH Activities
The national launch of North American Occupational Safety and Health Week will be held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories on May 2, 2005.

NAOSH week is also an ideal time for organizations to enhance their knowledge of workplace safety by holding or participating in a health and safety event. These events can range from training sessions to contests to community events – anything designed to raise awareness. The NAOSH Week website is chock full of ideas and resources that can be downloaded.

Visit the NAOSH website at http://www.naosh.ca.

A Brief History of NAOSH
The first NAOSH Week was launched in June 1997. During the North American Free Trade Agreement talks, government labour department representatives from Mexico, the United States and Canada discussed workplace safety within the boundaries of the three nations. As a result, the Canadian Society of Engineering changed the former Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Week to include the U.S. and Mexico, officially making the annual event a continent-wide effort.

The CSSE continues to lead NAOSH Week with the help of its partners, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) and Human Resources Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), in concert with North American partners in Mexico and the United States.