It's North American Occupational Safety & Health Week - Stay Well, Keep Safe

According to NAOSH (North American Occupational Safety & Health) organizers, the goal of NAOSH week is to “focus employers, employees, partners and the public on the importance of preventing injury and illness in the workplace, at home and in the community.”

Observed throughout Canada, the United States and Mexico, NAOSH week is the perfect time to:

• Create a positive attitude toward safety in your workplace
• Promote a safety culture in your facility
• Encourage communication between employees and safety committees

NAOSH Week is led by the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), in concert with the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and partners in Mexico.

Companies throughout North America are promoting safety in their companies in a variety of creative ways. Here are just a few examples of how they are observing NAOSH week this year:

• Hosting safety conferences with special guests from the community like OSHA officials, local fire departments and hazcom response teams.
• Holding safety poster contests for the children of employees.
• Registering employees for special training sessions like CPR courses or first aid classes.
• Hiring ergonomics experts to review employee’s workstations to ensure healthy work practices.
• Playing “Family Feud” style games where the questions are all safety related.
• Hosting a healthy eating BBQ.
• Reviewing and practicing emergency evacuation procedures.
• Sponsoring fundraiser walks for victims of workplace accidents and to raise safety awareness.
• Organizing PPE donning and doffing competitions where competitors have to determine the hazard, choose the correct PPE, then put it on and take it off correctly.
• Holding a “pedometer challenge” to see who can walk the most throughout the week.
• Reviewing, updating and changing their safety signs, safety posters and safety banners to make sure their safety messages and instructions are current and relevant

For more information and ideas on how you can participate in NAOSH Week visit NAOSH.