NAOSH Week drives home the importance of workplace safety.
Traveling to Washington in the spring is an annual tradition for millions of American families and businesspeople. On the business side, it is during this time that governmental budgets are drafted, priorities are set and elected officials still are focused on policymaking rather than their next election.
The topic of safety will be front and center in Washington during North American Occupational Safety and Health Week May 6-12. American Supply Association’s Safety Committee, a growing entity headed by NIBCO’s Ricky Bryant and comprised of many of your wholesale and manufacturing peers who specialize in injury prevention in the workplace, will join other safety professionals in support of this week-long initiative.
American Society of Safety Engineers President Terrie Norris, along with officials from Occupational Safety & Health Administration and its alliance partners, will kick off the U.S.-based portion of the week May 7 in Washington.
Sponsored by ASSE and Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the goal of NAOSH Week is to focus the attention of employers, employees, the public, and all partners in occupational safety, health and the environment on the importance of preventing injury, illness and fatalities in the workplace.
The theme for this year’s NAOSH Week is “Safety, What Every Business Needs.” The annual NAOSH Week and the May 9 Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day aim to raise awareness about workplace safety, focusing on providing small- and mid-size businesses with key workplace safety resources. According to program sponsors, companies with between 50 and 249 employees have the highest rate of job-related injuries and illnesses.
OHSA and its alliance program participants work with ASSE and its members each year to sponsor events during NAOSH Week and on OSHP Day. These efforts are supported by the 10th annual international ASSE “Safety-on-the-Job” poster contest for children ages 5-14. The winning posters in each of five age groups will be featured on the globally distributed NAOSH Week poster. To see the posters visit, www.asse.org/naoshwww.asse.org/naosh. You can receive a free poster by sending an email to customerservice@asse.org.
For more on NAOSH Week, including a downloadable 10-question workplace safety checklist form, visit www.naosh.org and click on the “Resources” icon.
Future safety columns
Eye on Safety will become a regular department in the print and digitial editions of Supply House Times and/or online at www.supplyht.com. In the future, rotating columnists, including members of ASA’s Safety Committee, will cover diverse topics such as: respirators in the workplace; globally harmonized system; scissor lift/aerial lift safety; eye protection in the workplace; cargo securement; dock loading safety habits; material handling; and medical waste disposal - blood-borne pathogens.
If you have comments about this column, have a safety topic you would like to see covered or are interested in writing about a workplace safety-related issue pertinent to the wholesale industry, contact Supply House Times Editor Mike Miazga at 847/405-4056 or via email at miazgam@bnpmedia.com.
