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WorkSafeBC congratulates winners of the 2005 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week and Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) Achievement Recognition Awards
Supporting documents
Richmond B.C., October 19, 2005 — WorkSafeBC (the Workers’ Compensation Board) congratulates B.C.-based organizations/individuals for their outstanding promotion of workplace health and safety at this year’s NAOSHWeek 2005 Safety Forum and Awards Luncheon being held in conjunction with the CSSE Achievement Recognition Awards.
NAOSHWeek Awards
B.C. companies submitted entries in a number of categories to the NAOSHWeek Steering Committee by participating in the annual competition held May 1–7, 2005. NAOSHWeek is an annual event in Canada, the United States, and Mexico and is designed to raise awareness of workplace health and safety issues.
The Most Innovative category award, sponsored by WorkSafeBC, went to the Vancouver International Airport Authority, in conjunction with Air Canada, Servisair/GlobeGround, Worldwide Flight Services, and WestJet. The companies’ combined efforts enabled health and safety messages to reach not only the employees of the Airport Authority, but also those of tenant airlines and ground-handling service providers which account for approximately 75 percent of all workers in the airport.
“This joined effort provides an opportunity to take our health and safety message beyond the walls of each organization,” said Betty Pirs, executive director of WorkSafeBC’s Prevention Services. “It’s impressive to see these organizations unite toward a common goal: reducing injuries and disease in the workplace.”
Chris Metcalfe, president of NAOSHWeek Steering Committee–BC, adds, “For a company to be successful in the areas of safety and health, there must be strong leadership and commitment from the CEO or president.”
CSSE Achievement Recognition Awards
The CSSE Achievement Recognition Awards are presented annually to individuals, organizations, and groups that have demonstrated outstanding commitment and effort to the occupational health and safety field. The BC/Yukon region of the CSSE has recognized achievement through the program since 1989.
“This year we’ve added a new award to recognize safety-specific non-profit associations”, said awards manager Kathy Tull, “and next year the awards program will be expanded to include the first TruckSafe Excellence Awards.”
The Vancouver International Airport Authority was also a winner of a CSSE Achievement Recognition Award in the WorkSafeBC-sponsored category of CSSE Special Award for Best Training/Orientation Program for young and new workers for their outstanding program tailored to meet the specific needs of new and young workers aged 15–24.
NAOSHWeek major winners and their category sponsors
Category |
Winner |
Sponsor |
Best Overall |
Vancouver International Airport Authority in conjunction with Air Canada, Servisair/GlobeGround, Worldwide Flight Services, and WestJet
|
St. John Ambulance |
Best New Entry |
Winton Global Lumber Ltd. |
B.C. Safety Council |
Most Innovative |
Vancouver International Airport Authority in conjunction with Air Canada, Servisair/GlobeGround, Worldwide Flight Services, and WestJet |
WorkSafeBC |
Best Presentation of Theme |
Thrifty Foods #6, James Bay |
St. John Ambulance |
In the Lower Mainland, congratulations go to:
Vancouver International Airport Authority , in conjunction with Air Canada, Servisair/GlobeGround, Worldwide Flight Services, and WestJet — for winning first place in three categories: Best Overall, Most Innovative, and Transportation of People. The campaign benefited the airport community by providing an opportunity to share and incorporate best practices through a number of initiatives, including an information fair dedicated to increasing awareness of emergency preparedness, “lunch and learn” sessions, and a Foreign Object Debris Walk, in which more than 130 employees gathered at 4:30 a.m. to begin a day of searching for loose objects that could potentially become ingested into an aircraft engine, causing damage and safety concerns.
Simon Fraser University — for winning first place in the Educational Institutions category by coordinating a fun and informative NAOSHWeek for students, faculty, and the public at each of its three campuses in Burnaby, Vancouver, and Surrey.
Washington Marine Group — for winning first place in the Marine category by focusing on engaging their employees through a number of activities such as a training session on the Canada Labour Code, Part II; a confined space rescue competition; and blood-pressure checks and glucose-level monitoring among others.
The City of Chilliwack — for placing first in the Municipalities category for involving staff, their families, and the community in a variety of activities, including a NAOSHWeek kick-off barbecue, lunch-hour “walk and learn” sessions on topics like dealing with everyday stress, fall-protection demonstrations, and a City-hosted open house where safety and health displays were placed in the lobby of City Hall.
Canadian Hotel Income Properties (CHIP Hospitality) — for winning first place in the Tourism/Hospitality category for taking a national approach to their campaign, coordinating events at CHIP locations across the country. In Vancouver, employees were encouraged to use the stairs for a chance to win a prize, take part in a “health lunch,” and learn about gardening, physical fitness, and emergency preparedness.
Remple Bros. Concrete Ltd. — for placing first in the Transportation of Goods category for focusing on activities that raise the profile of employee, family, and public safety. In-house activities like special safety meetings, worksite inspections, a safety audit, and a forklift-operator training course were undertaken, while NAOSHWeek banners were displayed in high-visibility locations near roads to raise public awareness.
A complete list of individual, organization , and special award categories winners and sponsors is attached for both the NAOSHWeek and CSSE Achievement Recognition Awards.
Serving nearly 2 million workers and about 179,000 employers, WorkSafeBC (the Workers' Compensation Board) is a provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors and funded by employers. WorkSafeBC was born out of a compromise between B.C.'s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers or fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to a safe and healthy workplace and to providing retusrn-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits to workers injured as a result of their employment.
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For more information please contact: |
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Michelle McLeod
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For NAOSHWeek and/or CSSE Achievement Recognition Awards winner contact information, please call Breanna Graham 604 231-8578 or toll-free (in B.C.) 1 888 621-7233, local 8578. A complete list of individual, organization, and special award categories winners and sponsors is available online at www.worksafebc.com/news_room/campaigns/naosh_week/default.asp. |
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