The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is teaming with the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) and other partners to celebrate North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week from May 5 to 11 to highlight the value of occupational safety.
The goal of the continent-wide NAOSH week is to focus the attention of employers, employees, the general public and all partners on occupational safety and health and on the importance of preventing injury and illness at work and at home.
"Prevention is the cure" is the slogan, and ASSE and CSSE members will learn more about the organizational benefits of investing in occupational safety and health, which include improving or keeping an company''s good reputation, creating a positive impact on the bottom line, and fostering a pleasant work environment.
During NAOSH week, ASSE members will also focus on educating the public and other key audiences on hazardous materials, learning a) what they are, b)emergency response information, c) the skills and training mandated to handle and transport hazardous materials, d) hazmat laws, e) personal protection equipment used to protect the wearer from hazardous materials, f) packaging hazardous materials, and, g) hazardous materials in the home. With over 800,000 hazardous materials shipped per day in the United States and 3.1 billion shipped annually, and with the continued threat of terrorism, both ASSE and CSSE believe it is important to provide this information now so safety professionals will be prepared should a crisis occur.
The NAOSH logo, three hands forming an equilateral triangle, portrays the three participating nations - Canada, the United States and Mexico - and symbolizes joint venture, cooperation and the commitment to the common goals shared by all occupational safety and health partners. The three sides stand for partnership of the three parties in this joint venture, as well as all partnerships between business, labor and governments. The connected hands illustrate assistance and cooperation on many levels - from interpersonal relationships in the workplace to international exchange.
NAOSH week material will be available at www.asse.org, www.csse.org and www.naosh.org.
Founded in 1911, ASSE is the world''s oldest and largest professional safety organization. The non-profit ASSE has more than 30,000 safety professional members located throughout the U.S. and abroad who manage, supervise and consult on safety, health and environmental issues in industry, insurance, government and education. CSSE is Canada''s largest and most established professional organization for health and safety practitioners, with over 1,850 members and 33 chapters.
by Sandy Smith ([email protected])