Congratulations to Tourism Whistler on winning the Tourism/Hospitality category of the NAOSH Week Awards! For the lists of award winners and the official press release, please see below.
Richmond, BC, October 20, 2011 — Organizations and individuals across BC are being recognized for their exceptional efforts in promoting safety and health in the workplace. Winners of NAOSH (North American Occupational Safety and Health) Week and Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) Achievement Recognition awards are being acknowledged at the 2011 Safety Forum and Awards ceremony in Langley.
“Our common goal is to promote safety and health at work in our province, nation, and our world,” says Tanya Steele, President of the NAOSH Week Steering Committee — BC. “This week provides the opportunity for organizations to challenge themselves to do something unique in the continued promotion of and dedication to safety at work.”
NAOSH Week is marked by a 1997 agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, dedicating a week each year to focus on occupational health and safety. It was held from May 1–7, 2011, with more than 50 companies in BC participating, and 14 organizations receiving 18 provincial recognition awards. The CSSE Achievement Recognition Awards are given annually to individuals, organizations, and groups that have demonstrated outstanding commitment and effort to the occupational health and safety field.
The best overall winner in the provincial NAOSH Week competition was Versacold Logistics and EV Logistics based in Delta, BC. Employees and managers organized a multitude of activities demonstrating the effects of what life could be like after a workplace injury, including one-handed hockey slap shot, eye-patch basketball, and one-legged golf putting. They held a blood-drive clinic, a forklift rally competition, evacuation drills, health and fitness seminars, and much more. Versacold’s overall effort also resulted in the company being awarded honourable mention in the Canadian national competition.
“We believe our efforts to make safety a priority in the organization has made a significant difference to the business, with reductions in time-loss accidents being a key indicator of this success,” says Mike Stephens, OH&S Manager, Western Canada Versacold Logistics. “Since first participating in safety and health week in 2006, we have reduced time-loss accidents by 93 percent and days lost by 90 percent.”
Two organizations in BC were category winners in both the provincial and national NAOSH Week competitions. In the provincial event, the Squamish Nation in North Vancouver won for best new entry, and the City of Kamloops won best of theme. Both of these organizations tied for best new entry in the competition across Canada.
In BC last year, more than 95,000 workplace injury claims were accepted by WorkSafeBC, and 143 of these were fatal claims. On average, 2,600 work injuries are reported every week, and 17 workers are permanently disabled every working day.
“We congratulate all those who participated in activities for the week showing their commitment to health and safety,” says Scott McCloy, WorkSafeBC Communications Director. “We are a strong supporter of the NAOSH Week working committee here in BC, which shares our vision for workers and workplaces free from injury and disease.”
WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a board of directors that serves about 2.2 million workers and more than 200,000 employers. WorkSafeBC was born from the historic compromise between BC’s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers and fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to safe and healthy workplaces and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits.
Media Contact:
Michelle McLeod
Public Affairs Officer
WorkSafeBC
Tel: 604 276-3159 or toll-free in B.C. 1 888 621-7233
Cell: 604 313-9330
Email: michelle.mcleod@worksafebc.com
